Iran threatened to block all oil exporting routes in the region on Wednesday in response to the U.S.maritime blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.A statement by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said the U.S.
"must expect other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies to be closed as well.""The region's oil and gas exports will either be available to everyone or to no one," said the statement carried by Iranian state media.Though it did not make a direct reference to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in the past Iran has threatened to close off the narrow passage at the entrance of the Red Sea, which links up to the Suez Canal as well as to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, providing passage to commercial vessels between Europe, Asia and Africa.In the hour leading up to the blockade, CENTCOM said the U.S.launched another wave of strikes to "continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."Adm.
Brad Cooper, who commands the U.S.Central Command, accused Iran of attacking seven commercial ships and launching missiles against Gulf countries."U.S.
forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives," Cooper said in a statement.Iran responded to the latest strikes by targeting U.S.military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan early Wednesday.The escalation entered its fifth day on Wednesday, raising the specter of a return to all-out war in the region, which began on Feb.
28 after the U.S.and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
The stepped up attacks in the past week have left their tentative ceasefire in tatters with no sign of progress toward a final deal to end the war.Control over the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as the key point of contention between the U.S.and Iran.
The deadlock over the waterway, through which roughly 20% of the world's energy supplies typically move, has disrupted global trade and increase...