May 12: Iran's strategic edge widens as top officials warn US against new military adventurism

By Press TV Website Staff

Iran's strategic upper hand is becoming increasingly visible, as the United States finds itself in a ring of fire with no viable options or leverage to advance its agenda.

Senior Iranian commanders have warned that the US, already mired in a costly and unpopular war, must accept Tehran's legitimate rights or face further strategic defeats.

As Iran consolidates its firm control over the Strait of Hormuz, files new legal actions against Washington, and exposes the covert roles played by some regional actors, the consequences of the US-Israeli war of aggression are rippling across global markets, domestic American politics, and the wider region.

Key developments on day 74 of the war, the thirty-fifth day of the ceasefire:

• The United States rejected Iran’s latest peace proposal solely because it was not a “letter of surrender,” Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said on Tuesday, noting that Washington seeks to impose its will through intimidation and pressure rather than building genuine peace.
• Iran’s Defence Ministry Spokesman Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik said the American-Zionist enemy must accept the legitimate and definitive rights of the Iranian nation, or expect to suffer repeated defeats both on the diplomatic front and on the battlefield.
• Rear Admiral Mohammad Akbarzadeh, the political deputy of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, announced a major strategic expansion of Iran’s defensive perimeter in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that it will not allow any violation of the country’s territorial waters or national interests.
• The IRGC’s Greater Tehran Command conducted a large-scale military exercise focusing on readiness to confront enemy forces in any terrain.
• Iran strongly condemned Washington’s latest attempt to push a draft resolution through the UN Security Council on the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a blatant effort to distort facts and shield the real aggressors.
• Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei highlighted the Islamic Republic's firm stance on nuclear negotiations with the United States, saying ending the war and the removal of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are prerequisites to any discussions.
• Iran filed a complaint against the United States at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), demanding compensation for damage inflicted on the country during the June 2025 war of aggression.
• The United Arab Emirates conducted a series of “covert” attacks against Iran during the latest bout of US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
• Israel secretly deployed Iron Dome missile-defence batteries and troops to the United Arab Emirates during the war against Iran, the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee admitted, exposing deepening military cooperation between the occupying regime and the monarchy.
• A tense scene unfolded on Capitol Hill when activists clad in “No War on Iran” apparel staged a pointed demonstration directly behind War Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Senate subcommittee hearing.
• A senior Pentagon official provided an updated estimate regarding the financial implications of the war on Iran, claiming that the war has already cost the United States approximately $29 billion since its onset on February 28, while independent estimates point to higher figures to the tune of over $100 billion.
• US President Donald Trump again admitted to Washington's support for armed riots and terrorist activities inside Iran during the February deadly riots, amid continued aggressive American measures targeting the nation.
• China rejected Israel’s claims that Beijing provided support to Iran in manufacturing missiles.
• Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem praised Lebanese resistance forces for their retaliatory drone operations against Israeli military positions, stressing that the unmanned aircraft are closely monitoring all enemy movements and are tightening the noose around Israeli occupation forces.
• At least six people were killed and seven others wounded after an overnight Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building in southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire agreement being announced last month.
• Threats of new sanctions by the “paper tiger” European Union will “never frighten” Iran, the Islamic Republic’s Embassy in Austria stated, after the bloc said it would impose sanctions against Tehran for closing the Strait of Hormuz.
• A recent opinion poll showed that two-thirds of Americans believe that Trump has failed to make a clear case for the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, and almost as many are bearing the brunt of the financial pinch from the jump in gas prices in the aftermath of the onslaught.
• The United States released 53.3 million barrels of crude oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to energy companies in an attempt to calm global markets shaken by the war against Iran and the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

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