Iran has warned of a more forceful response to any further US military action following recent clashes involving Iranian attacks on American warships and subsequent US strikes on oil tankers. The escalating tensions stem from a six-month-old conflict marked by a deadlock in negotiations. Iran continues to control the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while the US maintains a counter-blockade of Iranian ports and imposes economic sanctions aimed at forcing concessions from Tehran. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that the era of proportionate responses is over, threatening a “faster, more intense and more painful response” to future aggression. US Central Command reported Iranian attempts to attack two warships, which were evaded, and subsequent strikes on three oil tankers near Kharg Island, Jask, and in the Gulf of Oman, alleging they funded Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran claims the warships were forced to retreat after sustaining damage.