Iran Threatens To Mine Persian Gulf If Its Coasts or Islands Are Attacked

(CNN) Iran’s Defense Council has threatened to deploy mines to block the entire Persian Gulf if Iran’s coasts or islands are attacked, state media reported Monday.

“The only way to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for non-belligerent countries is coordination with Iran,” the statement from the high-level security body said, according to the semi-official Fars News.

“Any enemy attempt to attack Iranian coasts or islands” will lead to “all access routes and communication lines in the Persian Gulf and coasts being mined with various naval mines,” the Defense Council reportedly said.

“The entire Persian Gulf will effectively be blocked, and the responsibility for this will lie with the threatener,” it added.

The warning comes after Iran’s military declared it would close the Strait of Hormuz and attack regional infrastructure if US President Donald Trump carries out a threat to bomb its power plants if the key waterway is not reopened by Monday evening.