SouthernWorldwide.com – Following U.S. strikes, an Iranian official has issued a stern warning, vowing that the Islamic Republic will deliver a “hard slap.” Another official directly threatened the United States, stating, “if you strike, you’ll get hit.” These declarations were made through Persian-language posts on the social media platform X, as indicated by automatic translations.
Ebrahim Rezaei, identified on X as a representative in Iran’s Parliament and spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, posted, “The martyred Khamenei taught us not to fear America and showed that ‘falsehood will perish.’ Await the hard slap from the Iranians.”
The Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also issued a warning. He stated, “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit. Don’t flail around pointlessly, or you’ll sink even deeper: the Strait of Hormuz will only open with ‘Iranian arrangements,’ not American threats.”
These pronouncements by both officials were made on Wednesday. Their statements came shortly after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had conducted additional strikes against Iran.
CENTCOM had previously stated in a post on X, “At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”
The U.S. military later provided further details regarding these attacks. In an update on Wednesday night, CENTCOM noted, “U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces completed an additional round of strikes against Iran, July 8, to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The announcement elaborated on the scope of the operations. “U.S. forces struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline,” CENTCOM reported. “The latest strikes follow successful execution of offensive strikes in Iran the night before,” the statement continued. “CENTCOM forces hit approximately 80 Iranian military targets July 7, including more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats, to impose heavy costs for Iran violating the ceasefire by attacking three commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz.”
President Donald Trump had indicated on Wednesday that, in his view, the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding ceasefire was effectively “over.”
In related developments, both Kuwait and Bahrain have reported coming under attack. The Kuwait Army issued a post on X on Thursday, written in Arabic, stating, “The Official Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Major General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, stated that the armed forces detected, at dawn today, (3) ballistic missiles, (1) cruise missile, and (10) hostile drones within Kuwaiti airspace, which were successfully intercepted and dealt with.”
The Bahrain Defense Force also posted in Arabic, with the General Command clarifying, “The General Command clarifies that, with firm resolve and high combat readiness, the Bahrain Defense Force’s air defense systems confronted, intercepted, and destroyed several treacherous Iranian aerial attacks this morning, Thursday, July 9, 2026 CE.”
