New Delhi: Iran’s Defence Council on Monday warned that any attack on the country’s southern coast and islands will lead to all Gulf routes getting cut
off with the laying of sea mines, as reported by Reuters.
“Any attempt to attack Iran’s coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf… to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast,” the statement read.
It further read that in this case, the entire Gulf will practically be in a situation to the Strait of Hormuz. It also highlighted that one should not forget the failure of more than 100 minesweepers in the 1980s in removing a few sea mines.
The statement came after the reports of the US considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island, which is the country’s main oil export hub. The US plans to do so in order to pressure Tehran to reopen the vital waterway for shipping.
On Monday, Israel even launched fresh attacks on the Iranian capital, saying that it had begun ‘a wide-scale wave of strikes’ in Tehran but didn’t elaborate on the move much.
Iran opens Hormuz for all except ‘enemies’
Iran’s Defence recalled that the Strait of Hormuz is open for all except vessels linked to “Iran’s enemies”. The vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz by coordinating security and safety arrangements with Tehran.
Iran’s IMP representative, Ali Mosavi, clarified on Saturday that Diplomacy remains Iran’s priority. He also added that the root cause of the current situation is strikes carried out by Israel and the US against Iran on February 28.
US President Donald Trump gave Iran a 48-hour ultimatum and warned of hitting power plants and starting off with the biggest first. In response, Iran threatened to target the US’s energy, technology and desalination infrastructure in the region.
The situation in the Middle East is very fragile, and with the 48-hour ultimatum clock ticking, a small mistake in the Gulf region could trigger major fallout.
