Iran says it targets US warships which tries to open 2nd Hormuz route

Iran would target any US warship that tries to impose a different route than the one that the Islamic Republic has defined for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, Mohsen Rezaei, a senior advisor to Iran's supreme leader, said Monday.

"(We won't allow) the second corridor to open. Even if they (US) deploy warships, we will target them," Rezaei said in an interview with Iran's state media.

He also warned of targeting US ships and bases if the country continued the naval blockade on Iran.

"There will certainly be serious dangers to the US ships and bases. We will not sit and watch the US continue the naval blockade," he added.

President Donald Trump said Monday that newly planned talks with Tehran are the "last chance" for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of US strikes on the country.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he expected negotiations to begin within the next day or two.

He said he hoped the talks would lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and provide a pathway for Iran to address US concerns over its nuclear program.

Talks between the US and Iran are critical to ending the monthslong conflict and reviving stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.