Iran’s Supreme Leader: U.S. Warships Belong in ‘Depths of Its Water’ as IRGC Threatens to ‘Burn’ American Vessels

Reflecto News | Breaking News | Iran-US Conflict

TEHRAN — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has declared that U.S. warships have no place in the Persian Gulf, stating that their rightful location is the “depths of its water,” as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued an explicit threat to burn American naval assets if the U.S. commits any new act of aggression.

The escalation in rhetoric follows reports that President Trump is scheduled to receive a briefing from CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper on potential new military options against Iran.

“American ships will soon meet the same fate as US bases in the region.”
— Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

🔥 ‘We Will Burn Its Giant Ships at Sea’

Iran’s most explicit threats came directly from the IRGC Navy, which has warned it will unleash “surprise tactics” and “new capabilities” in response to any U.S. attack.

• IRGC Navy’s Pledge: A senior IRGC Navy official pledged to “employ its new cards, including in the field of smart targeting, and will set the massive vessels of the criminal regime ablaze with its fury and take them out of operation”. Another official stated, “If America miscalculates again, we will burn its giant ships at sea”.
• The ‘Resistance Front’: Tehran has warned it would mobilize the entire “Resistance Front”—a network of Iran-aligned groups across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen—to stretch U.S. forces across multiple theaters in the event of a major escalation.
• ‘Prolonged, Painful Blows’: IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi warned that even a “short and rapid” U.S. strike campaign would be met with “prolonged and painful blows”.

⚔️ The US Military Posture: Carriers, Minesweepers, and a ‘Gang of Pirates’

The threats come as the U.S. Navy maintains a formidable, but heavily tested, presence in the Persian Gulf.

• Naval Assets: The USS Abraham Lincoln is positioned approximately 322 km off Iran’s coast, operating alongside the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli. The USS George H.W. Bush is expected to arrive soon to provide additional airpower for potential combat operations.
• The ‘Swarm’ Threat: The IRGC Navy has shifted to “unconventional tactics” using heavily armed fast attack craft, such as the HAIDAR-110 and Zolfaghar class vessels, which are designed to swarm U.S. warships. The US has described these forces as a “gang of pirates”.
• Iranian Resilience: While the U.S. claims to have degraded Iran’s conventional military, American officials have reportedly admitted that approximately half of Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile and 60 percent of the IRGC’s naval arm remain intact.

🚢 Crisis in the Strait of Hormuz

The verbal threats are playing out against a backdrop of intense, low-level naval warfare in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Blockade and Interceptions: The U.S. reports it has successfully redirected 42 commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade, while Iran continues to enforce its own restrictions.
• Economic Warfare: Iran’s Supreme Leader framed control of the Strait as a “blessing” that will bring “comfort and progress” but which “may also bring about losses and difficulties”.
• Risk of Miscalculation: Experts warn that the use of fast boats, drones, and mines in the congested strait creates a high risk of accidental escalation, where a single clash could widen uncontrollably.

📋 Key Takeaways at a Glance

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