Iran threatened Sunday to confront the US over its naval blockade, with a top military adviser to the country’s supreme leader warning that the Sea of Oman could become a “graveyard” for US ships if tensions continue to escalate.

“My advice to the US militarily is to back off before the Gulf of Oman turns into a graveyard for your ships. Otherwise, our understanding is that a naval blockade is an act of war, and responding to it is our natural right, Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said in remarks carried Sunday by Iranian state television.

Rezaei added that Iran’s restraint should not be interpreted as acceptance of pressure or threats.

“If we’ve been patient until now, it doesn’t mean we have accepted it,” he said.

He also questioned the rationale behind the continued US military presence in the Gulf, arguing that Washington no longer had the justifications it once used to maintain its role in the region.

“America comes here and brings its warships. Who is its enemy? At one time, they said they came to confront the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union no longer exists,” he said.

Rezaei said the Strait of Hormuz had always remained open to trade and argued that what was being rejected was foreign military campaigns rather than commercial movement.

"The Strait of Hormuz is open to trade, but it will be closed to military buildups and any attempts to destabilize security," he said.

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to secure a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a specified deadline.

Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the strategic waterway. (AA)

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