Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, as saying Tehran would bar U.S. military vessels from the Persian Gulf.
At a Fort Myers rally Friday, President Donald Trump said, “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree.” The rally transcript records no order or timetable for another operation. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28, 2026.
Al Jazeera separately reported that Iranian forces were prepared to fire on U.S. warships. IRNA’s account of Abdollahi’s warning said the vessels would be barred from entering the Gulf. The warning follows an earlier threat from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that U.S. bases could be drawn into the Hormuz standoff, covered in EconoTimes’ prior reporting.
Ministers from Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom met in Istanbul on Friday and called for dialogue and de-escalation. Their eight-country meeting was separate from a statement by the four R4 countries: Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The R4 statement endorsed the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and urged safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The four governments said shipping disruptions could put deliveries of energy, fertilizer and food at risk, with vulnerable communities bearing the effects. They also described Israeli occupation as a fundamental source of regional instability.
Brent crude futures settled at $116.72 a barrel Friday, up $3.55, or 3.14%, Reuters reported. Reuters said the settlement was the highest since April 29 and attributed the day’s rise to supply concerns after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia and an oil spill involving a tanker near the United Arab Emirates.
In an Oct. 8 post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as EconoTimes previously reported.
