TEHRAN, March 23– Iran’s Defense Council has warned that the country will lay naval mines in the Gulf if the United States and Israel launch any attack on its coasts or islands, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday.
“Any attempt by the enemies to attack Iranian coasts or islands will naturally and based on common military practices cause Iran to lay various types of naval mines, including the floating ones that can be laid from the coasts, in all access routes and communication lines in the Gulf and the coasts,” the report said.
The council said that in that case, the entire Gulf would effectively mirror the Strait of Hormuz situation for a long time, and the waterway would be practically blocked, a responsibility to be borne by the threatening party.
The only way for the non-hostile states’ vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz is through coordination with Iran, it added.
In response to the U.S. threat of attacking Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure in case the Strait of Hormuz is not opened, the council reaffirmed its commitment to immediately give a “decisive and devastating” response to any such strikes.
In response to the U.S. threat to attack Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened, the council reaffirmed its commitment to respond decisively and devastatingly to any such strikes.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within 48 hours.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned as “false flag storylines” Israel’s claim that Iran has targeted the Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean with ballistic missiles.
He made the remarks on X, citing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who said the alliance “cannot confirm Israel’s claim that missiles targeting Diego Garcia were Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles.”
“That even the NATO secretary-general declines to endorse Israel’s most recent disinformation speaks volumes: the world has grown thoroughly exhausted with these tired and discredited ‘false flag’ storylines,” Baghaei said.
Citing a U.S. official, CNN claimed that Iran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles on Friday at Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-British military base located over 3,000 km off the Iranian coasts, saying the launch “has renewed questions about Tehran’s military capabilities and how far its missiles can reach.
” On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
