Iran has threatened to take control of another key waterway in the Middle East if Donald Trump launches a ground invasion, raising fears of further economic chaos.
An unnamed military source told Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on Wednesday that attacks could be launched on vessels transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait in retaliation to US operations on its territory or islands.
The Strait is located between Djibouti and Yemen, where the Iran-aligned Houthis have previously launched attacks on ships.
The source said that Iran has the capability to pose a “credible threat” in the Strait.
“We are constantly monitoring and keeping an eye on the enemy front’s preparations and developments,” the military source told Tasnim.
“If the enemy wants to take action on land in the Iranian islands or anywhere else in our lands or to inflict costs on Iran with naval movements in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, we will open other fronts for them as a surprise so that their action will not only be of no benefit to them but will also double their costs,” they added.
So far, the Iran-backed Houthis have stayed out of the Iran war. Experts have suggested the proxy group’s lack of action could be a strategic decision to exert more pressure on Washington and Israel at a later stage.
Iran last month seized control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes. The move sparked chaos in the energy markets and created a shortage of an estimated 4.3 million barrels of oil per day, according to Kpler.
Countries dependent on imports in Asia have been forced to take drastic measures in response to oil shortages, such as declaring a four-day working week.
The Mayor of Tehran, Dr Alireza Zakani, suggested on Wednesday that Iran’s control of the waterway was effectively a sanction against the US and allies.
“Rather than bargaining to lift sanctions, we’re focused on shaping a new sanction framework against the US and its allies in the Strait of Hormuz” he said in a post on social media.
“Lifting US unilateral sanctions doesn’t need a negotiation table, our missiles have already delivered results.”
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said his country would attack an unnamed neighbouring country if it cooperated with efforts by “the enemies” to occupy one of its islands.
Since the start of what the US calls “Operation Epic Fury”, Iran has attacked countries across the Gulf that host US bases.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that the “world is staring down the barrel of a wider war” in the region.
“It is time to stop climbing the escalation ladder and start climbing the diplomatic ladder,” he said at the UN headquarters in New York.
