A senior official in Tehran has warned that intelligence reports suggest that “enemies of Iran” are planning to seize Iranian islands with support from unnamed countries in the region.
Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, said on Wednesday that any such attempt would be met with targeted attacks against “critical infrastructure” of regional countries supporting the operation, which he did not name.
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“Iran’s military is monitoring the enemy’s movements and if the enemy takes any steps, we will attack the critical infrastructure of the regional country with continuous and persistent attacks,” Gharibakh said in two separate posts on social media.
Ghalibaf’s warning comes as US President Donald Trump continues to insist that the US is negotiating with Iran to end the war (a claim Tehran denies), while the White House also conveys new threats against Iran’s leadership.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said Wednesday that Iran must accept defeat.
“If Iran cannot accept the reality of this moment and understand that it has been and will continue to be defeated militarily, then President Trump will ensure that Iran will be hit even harder than it has ever been,” Levitt said.
“President Trump is not bluffing and is ready to unleash hell,” Levitt said.
The Pentagon has sent thousands of paratroopers to the Gulf region, in addition to two squads of US Marines already on the way, signaling a more punitive war against Iran, while the US government insists on peace talks.
About 2,000 soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have been ordered to the region, and the first of two Marine Expeditionary Forces aboard giant amphibious assault ships could arrive in the area within days, according to U.S. media reports.
“America’s Eye on Kharg Island”
Al Jazeera’s Mohamed War, reporting from Tehran, said Iranians are well aware of the continued buildup of U.S. ground forces and warships in the region and “know what that will bring.”
“So for now, they’re saying they’re more confident that this war will continue than it will end, and they’re preparing for that,” Val said.
“They are also aware of the US attention on Kharg Island,” he said, adding that some believe the parliament speaker’s previous threats against regional countries (if they cooperate with the invasion of the islands) may have been aimed at the United Arab Emirates.
“He was referring here to the United Arab Emirates, which he said may be collaborating with the United States and encouraging the occupation of Kharg Island, according to several people explaining his remarks,” Val said.
“Iranians have said in recent days that they know for sure that if this were to happen, it would be very destructive for Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and even the U.S. military.”
“Kharg Island is a small, exposed island very close to mainland Iran. They are threatening that if U.S. troops land there, that’s where the (Iranians) will be waiting, which will have a very negative impact on the security of the U.S. military,” he added.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on Wednesday quoted unnamed military officials as saying Iran could open a new front at the mouth of the Red Sea if military operations are carried out on “Iranian islands or other places within our territory.”
The source told Tasnim that Iran has the ability to pose a “credible threat” to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait between Yemen and Djibouti.
Tasnim later cited “informed sources” who claimed that Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels were ready to play a role “if it is necessary to seize control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to further punish the enemy.”
President Trump has repeatedly insisted in recent days that negotiations with Iran are progressing, and Tehran has denied any talks are taking place with the United States, but there are signs of tentative diplomatic efforts and mediators in the region say work is underway behind the scenes to get the message across between the two countries.
The United States has reportedly proposed a 15-point plan to end hostilities, while local media, citing Iranian officials, said Tehran has offered its own five conditions to end hostilities.
