“A mistake will be met with strength”: Iran’s new threat to the US

The impasse in negotiations with the US is pushing Iran to prepare for the possibility that fighting will resume. While senior officials blame Washington for the crisis in the talks and demand the lifting of the naval blockade, emergency scenarios are already being prepared in the civilian system. At the same time, senior military officials issue a clear threat: if Washington “makes a mistake again”, the Iranian response will be decisive.

It seems that the stalled contacts also seep into the field, as Tehran moves to emergency preparations. The governor of the capital announced that 700 mosques in 22 regions were prepared to be used as shelters and assistance centers for citizens in case of “difficult scenarios”.

Against the background of preparations for escalation, the political assistant of the commander of the navy in the Revolutionary Guards issued a warning tonight. According to him, any “additional mistake by Washington” will be answered by revealing new capabilities and activating what is left of the “axis of resistance” in full force.

In the meantime, Tehran is trying to convey a clear line: Iran does not intend to fold – and the ball, according to it, is in the American court. Ali Safri, a senior official at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said that “we were surprised that the American president came out and said that this blockade will continue. As you know, before any diplomatic move we need what is called a process of rebuilding trust.”

According to Sperry, “Precisely at this stage, where we suffer from a lack of trust between the parties, unfortunately there is no such process on the part of the US. That’s why we highlighted and presented some suggestions in this regard. If the US lifts the blockade over Iranian ports, this step will be considered positive for solving the existing problems between the two sides.”

He blamed the US: “As we emphasized, the result and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz were the result of the American military action. The Iranian armed forces were the party responsible for securing the passage of the ships before the outbreak of the war. The US betrayed the diplomatic track and attacked the armed forces that were in this area, in order to create a situation of chaos in the area.”

Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the Iranian newspaper Kihan, which is affiliated with the regime, commented on the possibility that the Bab al-Mandab Strait would be closed. “Closing the Bab al-Mandab strait to enemy countries and receiving payment for the passage of non-hostile ships may significantly change the economic and security equations in the world. Every day, about 6 million barrels of oil pass through it, and another 50-70 commercial vessels with cargo and goods worth more than 10 billion dollars,” he said.

“If the strait is closed to vessels of enemy countries or goods imported or exported for them, they will have to go through a longer route through South Africa,” he added. “This route change adds between 3,000 and 3,500 nautical miles and adds about 10 to 15 days to the journey time, in addition to a daily cost of between one million and two million dollars for each vessel. The Zionist regime is among the parties that suffer the most from disruptions in the movement of Bab al-Mandab.”

According to Shariatmadari, “The naval blockade of Iran by the US is a clear violation of the ceasefire. Therefore, closing the Strait of Bab al-Mandab to American ships and its allies, and especially the Zionist regime, is a legal right and a legitimate and acceptable response of the resistance front. This action will not be easily accepted by the USA, the Zionist regime and their European and Arab allies. The resistance forces in Yemen have declared many times that they are fully prepared to close this strategic strait.”