INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Any coastal attack will lead to full Gulf closure, warns Iran

TEHRAN
Any coastal attack will lead to full Gulf closure, warns Iran

An attack on Iran's southern coast and islands will lead to ​Gulf routes being cut with the ‌laying of sea mines, the country's Defence Council said on Monday according to state media.

The ​US is considering plans to occupy or ​blockade Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main ⁠oil export hub, to pressure Tehran ​to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ​all shipping, according to Axios.

"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.

"In this case, the entire Gulf will practically be in a situation ​similar to ​the ⁠Strait of Hormuz for a long time (...) One should not forget ​the failure of more than ​100 ⁠minesweepers in the 1980s in removing a few sea mines."

The Defence Council recalled that ⁠non-belligerent ​states can only pass through ​the Strait of Hormuz by coordinating passage with Iran.