New Delhi, July 12 -- Iran's supreme leader heard a public commitment from one of his senior advisers on Sunday: the Strait of Hormuz, which the Revolutionary Guards formally closed earlier in the day, is worth more to Tehran than a nuclear arsenal - and Iran will use force to defend it.

"We took the Strait of Hormuz by force, and we will keep it by force."

The declarations came hours after the IRGC announced the waterway would remain shut "until further notice" - and hours after a third round of US airstrikes had already landed on Iranian territory. US Central Command struck approximately 140 military targets, including missile facilities, naval assets, ammunition depots, and communication networks, in the latest exchange. It followed ...