An Iranian official has issued a stern warning, stating that the Islamic Republic is prepared to deliver a “hard slap,” while another has openly threatened the United States with retaliation, cautioning, “if you strike, you’ll get hit.” These assertions were made in Persian-language posts by the officials on the social media platform X, as revealed through automatic translations.
Ebrahim Rezaei, whose online profile identifies him as a member of Iran’s Parliament and spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, communicated through X, “The martyred Khamenei taught us not to fear America and demonstrated that ‘falsehood will perish.’ Prepare for the hard slap from the Iranians.”
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, also voiced a warning, stating, “America has yet to learn that bullying and breaking promises come at a cost. To be clear: if you strike, you’ll be hit back. Don’t waste your energy floundering, or you’ll end up worse off: the Strait of Hormuz will only be navigated under ‘Iranian arrangements,’ not through American threats.”
Their warnings were posted on Wednesday following the announcement by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) of additional strikes against Iran.
“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,” CENTCOM had noted in a post on X.
Attendees gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla for a farewell ceremony for Iran’s late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 4, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
The U.S. military later provided more information about the attacks.
“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,” CENTCOM noted on Wednesday night.
“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. The latest strikes follow successful execution of offensive strikes in Iran the night before,” the announcement noted. “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 indicated on Wednesday that, as far as he was concerned, the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding ceasefire was “over.”
Kuwait and Bahrain have both reported coming under attack.
The Kuwait Army noted in a Thursday post on X, which was written in Arabic, “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.”
President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, on July 8, 2026. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
The Bahrain Defense Force noted in a post that was in Arabic, “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.”