Iran makes ‘suicide bombing’ threat to block Strait of Hormuz if US enters war

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is a vital global trade route through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply passes daily.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

As the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates and the US mulls the possibility of deploying troops to enter the war, Iran’s regime is threatening a strategy some analysts consider akin to “suicide bombing”: blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is a vital global trade route through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply passes daily.

An Iranian source, quoted in Qatar’s Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper, warned that Tehran would take “additional measures” if the US entered the war.

Mohsen Rezaee, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council and advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, reiterated the threat on Wednesday, stating, “We have dealt heavy blows to the enemy, but it is not enough — we have yet to employ our full land and sea capabilities, our oil leverage, the Strait of Hormuz, or our advanced missile technologies.”

Blocking the Strait of Hormuz with mines would increase the price of oil by 40-50%, a scenario that would give Iran a strategic advantage to end hostilities. Still, it would also pose a significant risk to Iran, both militarily and economically.

Karim Sadjadpour of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace compared Iran’s threat to block the Strait of Hormuz to the “strategic equivalent of a suicide bombing.” Iran could  cause massive damage, even if it is unable to “survive the retaliation.”

Blocking the Strait of Hormuz would likely provoke war with the United States and other nations, a scenario Iran is not afraid to threaten, even if it would ultimately be harmed in the process.

Retired US General Joseph Votel, former CENTCOM commander, and retired Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, who once led US Naval Forces Central Command, said Iran is fully capable of mining and obstructing the Strait of Hormuz.

Donegan said if Iran took this action, it would evoke a “massive US response,” but at the same time, “Mining would also hurt Iran. They could lose significant oil revenue to China.” However, Tehran may consider the cost worthwhile to prop up the regime.