As the United States boosts troop levels across the Middle East and military tensions rise, Iran issued a hard-line warning that it could impose a maritime blockade.
State media reported that Iran’s Defense Council said in a March 23 statement that any attempt to attack Iran’s coastline or islands would prompt it to lay mines along all approaches and communications routes in the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters. The council also said it could employ various types of mines, including floating mines that can be deployed from shore.
The Defense Council is a joint civilian-military body formed at the supreme leader’s direction after last year’s “12-Day War” to enable rapid decision-making in wartime.
The statement followed foreign reports that the U.S. is weighing options to seize or blockade Kharg Island — a key Iranian oil-export hub. U.S. planners have reportedly even considered deploying ground forces to secure Kharg and nearby Abu Musa to keep shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz open.
Iran warned that if the U.S. moved to take military action, the entire Persian Gulf would effectively face a blockade similar to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and that such a condition could persist for an extended period.
Tehran further raised the threat by invoking the 1980s “tanker war” during the Iran–Iraq War, noting that mines were difficult to clear even with large numbers of minesweepers — emphasizing the practical risk of a maritime blockade.
The council also reiterated Tehran’s claim to authority over transit through the Strait of Hormuz, saying that even nonbelligerent vessels must coordinate transit plans with Iran in advance and that cooperation with Iran would be essential for neutral ships to pass the strait.
