Amid soaring tensions in Middle East, Iran’s senior official MB Ghalibaf has warned of a possible move by “enemy countries” to seize one of Iran’s islands with the support of an “unnamed country”, citing intelligence inputs and vowing a fierce response. He said Tehran is closely tracking all developments, cautioning that any such attempt would trigger “relentless, unceasing” strikes on the vital infrastructure of the regional country involved.
In a post on X, Iranian parliament speaker Ghalibaf said, “Based on some intelligence reports, Iran’s enemies are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands with support from one of the regional countries. Our forces are monitoring all enemy movements, and if they take any step, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will be targeted with relentless, unceasing attacks.”Separately, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States has failed to meet its primary war objectives against Iran, including achieving a swift military victory and bringing about regime change in Tehran, according to Al Jazeera.The remarks come amid a significant US military buildup in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran in the region, which followed joint US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and Iran’s retaliatory response. The Pentagon has ordered the deployment of around 2,000 additional soldiers from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division from its base in North Carolina, Al Jazeera reported.This deployment adds to two Marine Expeditionary Units already heading to the region from different directions in the Pacific. The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group is moving from Japan, while the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group is en route from San Diego.Together, these reinforcements will increase US troop presence in the region by an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 marines and sailors, supplementing the roughly 50,000 personnel already stationed there, according to Al Jazeera.According to Al Jazeera, Iranians see the ongoing US troop and naval buildup as a sign that the conflict is likely to continue.“So right now, they are much more certain of a continuation of this war than an end to it, and they say they are preparing for it,” Vall said.He added that there is increasing focus on Kharg Island, with some interpreting Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s earlier warning as a reference to the United Arab Emirates.“According to some people explaining what he said, he’s referring here to the United Arab Emirates, that it might be cooperating with the US and encouraging it to take Kharg Island,” Vall said.He said many Iranians believe such a move would have serious consequences for both the UAE and US forces.The scale of these deployments marks one of the largest US military mobilisations in the region since the 2003 Iraq war, when about 160,000 troops were sent.While no ground offensive has been officially announced, the size and nature of the buildup suggest multiple possible scenarios, including seizing or blockading Kharg Island, securing Iran’s coastline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or taking control of Iran’s nuclear material.
