Overview
- Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei said on Wednesday that Tehran will not let any enriched nuclear material leave the country and intends to keep the stockpile for domestic uses such as nuclear‑powered ships and submarines.
- Rezaei warned that if US forces use distant bases to strike Iran the country would retaliate against those bases, including installations in Europe, extending Iran’s list of potential targets beyond the region.
- Tehran has closed control of passage through the Strait of Hormuz and says it will not reopen the waterway until Washington meets seven conditions that include lifting sanctions, ending the US naval blockade, unfreezing assets, and ending hostilities.
- Maritime attacks and navigation incidents have surged, with Iranian sources and maritime monitors reporting multiple tankers hit by mines or projectiles and a record spike in ship incidents in November that has slowed shipping and raised insurance costs.
- US officials signal a preference for sustained economic and maritime pressure rather than large new strikes, and Congressional constraints after the recent midterms limit the administration’s political room for prolonged offensive operations.