Tehran vows ‘faster, harder, more painful’ strikes after IRGC responds to US attacks

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the ‘rules have changed’ while stressing that the ‘era of proportionate responses’ has ended

News Desk

SEP 6, 2026

https://thecradle.co/articles/tehran-vows-faster-harder-more-painful-strikes-after-irgc-responds-to-us-attacks

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on 6 September that Tehran will strike back harder and faster in response to any new US strikes, following the latest exchange of fire between Washington and the Islamic Republic. 

Washington must “understand” before it is “too late” that “the era of ‘proportionate responses’ is over,” the parliament speaker said.

“From now on, any aggression against Iran’s interests and security will receive a faster, heavier and more painful response,” he added. 

Ghalibaf was further quoted as saying that the “rules of the game have changed.”

He described Tehran’s latest military operations targeting US military bases across the region as “only the beginning.”

Earlier on Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted US warships in response to attacks on Iranian vessels. 

The operation involved several ballistic missiles, according to the IRGC.

“The two warships, after sustaining damage and fearing another attack, were forced to flee the area of engagement,” it said. 

The aircraft carrier and US destroyer had been “harassing” Iranian vessels.

“The enemy, which had for years roamed the region with false pride and hollow claims, is now forced to officially acknowledge that two US Navy warships came under attack. CENTCOM’s acknowledgment confirming this operation is living evidence of the enemy’s strategic defeat and proof of the offensive power of the IRGC.”

The night before, the IRGC said it struck three oil tankers in response to US attacks on Iranian vessels that were carried out by Washington in “desperation.”

US Central Command (CENTCOM) released a statement on the exchange of fire, saying it "struck three Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 5, after the IRGC launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships patrolling regional waters.

It claimed the IRGC operations were “failed attacks,” and added: “Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours.”

According to reports from IRIB, the US military carried out missile strikes targeting three Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

An IRIB correspondent stationed on Kharg Island, Bushehr Province, reported that an Iranian oil tanker was struck by US forces near the strategic island. Onboard cooling systems successfully contained and extinguished the resulting fires within the hour, and no casualties were reported.

Simultaneously, a separate IRIB report confirmed that US forces targeted two additional oil tankers off the coast, comprising one loaded vessel and one empty carrier. Emergency rescue teams successfully evacuated both crews to the shore unharmed.

Ghalibaf’s Sunday warning echoed a statement made by the Iranian military over the weekend. 

“Mischief, insecurity and harassment of Iranian ships” will be met with “more severe strikes than before,” said the Iranian army’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters. 

Late on Tuesday, Washington carried out a new and massive escalation, launching a series of strikes on the Islamic Republic, including a strike that killed and wounded dozens at a wedding in the country’s south.

Tehran has responded with heavy missile and drone attacks on US military infrastructure across the region in recent days.

The escalation follows the declaration of a US economic war of illegal sanctions against Tehran.