Iran Says It's Ready to Go on the Attack as Ceasefire with the US Ends
Iran said on August 17, 2026 that it may start attacking US forces offensively, as a ceasefire deal between Iran and the United States expired Al Jazeera. The deal, agreed in June 2026, had created a 60-day pause in fighting and set up a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow strip of water between Iran and Oman that ships use to carry oil out of the Persian Gulf — and to work toward a longer-term agreement Al Jazeera. Fighting had already resumed, and the deal officially ended on August 18.
Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, a top leader in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — a powerful military force that reports directly to Iran's Supreme Leader — told Iranian state TV that Iran's war efforts had been defensive but "might take on an offensive aspect." He warned opponents to expect "strategic surprises" and said IRGC forces were ready to take whatever action was needed to defend the country.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said that if the US attacks Iranian civilian infrastructure like power plants and internet systems, Iran could target US and regional allies' infrastructure in return, including energy networks. Iran has also warned Gulf states — countries bordering the Persian Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE — that any new US attack on Iran would trigger retaliation against their critical energy infrastructure Reuters.
In the days before the ceasefire ended, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed several IRGC veterans and trusted allies to top military and security jobs. Among them, Major General Ahmad Vahidi was promoted to commander-in-chief of the IRGC. Khamenei said Vahidi's appointment should combine "maximum deterrence" — building up enough strength that no one dares attack you — with readiness for "powerful offensive operations against the enemy." Vahidi claimed that Iran's leadership and armed forces had "brought to its knees the most heavily-armed army in world history," referring to US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28, 2026.
On the US side, President Donald Trump said on August 14 that Iran had been defeated in the war and was facing a naval blockade he called a "wall of steel." Trump also said the Strait of Hormuz would "pretty soon" be declared US territory, though the White House later suggested he was joking. Two days earlier, on August 15, Trump said the United States would "soon" declare the strait its territory "after we finish defeating Iran" Al Jazeera; Fox News.
The Strait of Hormuz carries about one-fifth of all the oil and gas shipped around the world, making it a major flashpoint Reuters. As of early August 2026, Iran had stopped most ships from passing through, while the US was blocking shipping and ports connected to Iran Reuters. The UAE reported that Iran attacked two ships passing through Hormuz in mid-August, and traffic slowed further after the US threatened more economic pressure on Tehran Reuters. The 2026 Iran war has disrupted global travel and trade, halted flights across the Middle East, and forced ships to take longer routes to avoid the region Britannica.
Under the June deal, Iran was supposed to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz and let ships pass "with no charge" for 60 days Al Jazeera. By mid-August, little progress had been made toward that goal Fox News. In early August, US and Iranian officials were reported to be discussing a deal that would give Iran control of inbound traffic through the strait Reuters. Iran's position is that no ship can enter Hormuz without its permission, and that the strait will reopen only when the US accepts Iran's conditions Mehr News.
Iran's army chief, Amir Hatami, announced a $30,000 reward for any man who kills or captures a US soldier involved in a ground operation on Iranian soil, with women offered twice that amount. Hatami referenced recent Iranian attacks on US forces in Jordan, saying, "Our hands are open in terms of reaching the aggressors." Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, suggested that the Trump administration may have considered ground operations on Iranian territory but held off due to "half-baked plans." Rezaee also claimed that US Central Command avoided hitting Tehran or northern Iran during a two-week surge in fighting in July 2026.
The Iranian Army has declared it will no longer allow US weapons to pass through the Strait of Hormuz into regional bases Mehr News. An Iranian military official named Akraminia said Iran considers no enemy action impossible or unlikely and has upgraded its readiness Mehr News.
The broader context here is a conflict that has gone through cycles of escalation, a brief pause for diplomacy, and then more escalation over about six months. The June deal was always fragile: a 60-day ceasefire sitting on top of unresolved arguments about the Strait of Hormuz, US military presence in the region, and Iran's ability to strike back at Gulf infrastructure. Khamenei's decision to install IRGC veterans at key command posts days before the deal lapsed suggests Tehran is preparing for a long confrontation, not a return to talks. Vahidi's promotion in particular puts a figure known for hardline military thinking in charge of the IRGC at the exact moment the ceasefire ends.
On the US side, Trump's escalating rhetoric, whether or not the "US territory" comment was a joke, makes diplomacy harder. Threatening to claim an international waterway as your own is an extreme position that makes it difficult for Iran to back down on Hormuz without looking like it's surrendering. The reported discussions in early August about a deal giving Iran control of inbound traffic suggest there was, at one point, a narrow path to a diplomatic solution. The collapse of the deal without that agreement being finalized closes that path for now.
What comes next likely depends on whether either side thinks more fighting will improve its bargaining position. Iran's threats against Gulf energy infrastructure and its attacks on commercial shipping give it leverage even under a US blockade — its power to cause damage is greater than its size might suggest. But the US naval presence and economic pressure have limited Iran's ability to move freely. The IRGC's promise of "strategic surprises" could point to actions beyond the sea, including cyberattacks on the infrastructure Mohebbi named. For Gulf states caught in the middle, the risk of being pulled into a wider conflict has grown with the expiration of the ceasefire.
