Iran 'ready to sink' US warships if they enter Persian Gulf
A billboard in Tehran depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inside an empty United Nations meeting hall. File photo. Reuters.
Iran has warned of attacking US warships if they advance toward the Persian Gulf. Ali Abdollahi, Chief of General Staff of the country's armed forces, said Iran has the capability to strike any US warship in the region. The warning came at a time when US President Donald Trump has hinted at a new large-scale attack on Iran.
Speaking at an election rally in Florida on Friday local time, Trump said the United States could launch "another Epic Fury" on Iran. He made the remark referring to the US's massive bombing of Iran at the start of the war. Trump had earlier said Washington was considering whether to end the conflict quickly by launching a major attack on Iran, or to continue pressure on Tehran through a naval blockade and sanctions.
In response, in a statement carried by Iranian state media on Saturday, Abdollahi said, "The US president can only dream that their soldiers and military forces will again enter the Persian Gulf. They must take this desire to the grave forever."
He also claimed there is a "contradiction" in the US's statements about Iran's military capabilities. Abdollahi said the United States claims that most of Iran's military capability has been destroyed in the war. But at the same time, they cannot bring their aircraft carriers and other warships near Iran. Abdollahi also warned that Iranian forces are ready to "drown in quicksand" the United States and Israel through retaliatory strikes.
He said this step would be taken as revenge for the war that began after US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. Meanwhile, attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz continue.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, claims that as of Thursday night, seven oil tankers have been hit by attacks or mines. They claimed on Friday that two more large oil tankers had struck mines. Amid fears of a new major war, the price of Brent crude oil has risen to about $117 per barrel.
On the other hand, diplomatic efforts are also underway to prevent war. On Friday in Istanbul, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt met with the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy. The United States and Iran did not participate.
After the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, "We agree that if there is a new attack on Iran, the war will spread further. Military intervention is by no means a solution. At this moment, no one is supporting it."
However, there has not yet been significant progress in the talks being mediated between the United States and Iran. As a result, amid threats of new attacks and counter-warnings, the risk of another major conflict in the region is increasing. (Source: Al Jazeera)
