Tehran: Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has claimed intelligence indicates “enemy” forces, backed by a regional country, are planning to occupy an Iranian island. He warned that any such move would trigger decisive retaliation, including attacks on critical infrastructure, amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
“If they take any step forward, all of the vital infrastructure of that regional country will come under (Iran’s) unrelenting attacks without any restriction,” Ghalibaf made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
In a separate post earlier in the day, Ghalibaf said Iran is closely monitoring all US movements in the region, especially its troop deployments.
“What the generals have broken, the soldiers can’t fix; instead, they will fall victim to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s delusions,” he said, warning, “Do not test our resolve to defend our land.”
Ghalibaf’s remarks came amid reports that the Pentagon is expected to send thousands of soldiers from the US Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the US has said that it is intensifying efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz and stabilise global oil flows as its military campaign against Iran continues, with the White House saying operations are focused on protecting energy routes critical to the global economy.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that US forces are targeting Iran’s ability to threaten shipping through the strategic waterway, a vital transit point for global energy supplies.
“Our military also remains laser focused on eliminating the regime’s threat to the free flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz,” she said.
As part of that effort, US forces struck Iranian military infrastructure along the coastline of the strait.
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the Middle East.
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Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (File photo; source: Xinhua/IANS)
–IANS
