Iran’s military posture has shifted throughout its wars with the U.S. and Israel from defensive to offensive, a spokesman for the Iranian army said in comments reported Saturday.

“We will respond to any act of aggression immediately and on a broader scale than the aggression itself,” Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia told Iranian state media, clarifying that the new doctrine does not imply Tehran will launch preemptive attacks.

Akraminia added that the Strait of Hormuz had become a source of “decisive geopolitical influence” for the Islamic Republic. Iran effectively closed the waterway, a critical trade chokepoint for energy, after the U.S. and Israel launched the current war in late February.

Iranian media reported on Saturday that Tehran gave Iraq permission for some of its oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The Iraqi government had requested the allowance to relieve pressure on its economy.

President Donald Trump described the Strait of Hormuz as “an American territory” during a campaign rally in South Carolina on Friday. Iran’s deputy foreign minister has dismissed such claims by Trump as “delusions.” The U.S. maintains a blockade targeting vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports in the strait.

This week the U.S. escalated threats of economic warfare against Iran, marking a new phase of the war. The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces warned Friday of a “devastating” response to U.S. sanctions.

AAA reported America’s average gasoline price as $4.10 per gallon on Saturday. That’s up from $2.98 on the eve of the Iran War.