Tehran - Saba:
Reuters news agency claimed that Iran had made preparations in the Gulf to close the Strait of Hormuz amid the war with the Zionist entity.
Iran's Mehr News Agency reported that two US officials, speaking to Reuters, claimed that "the Iranian military loaded sea mines onto ships in the Gulf last month," a move that heightened Washington's fears that Tehran was preparing to close the Strait of Hormuz following Israel's terrorist aggression against Iran.
The two officials indicated that "these previously unreported preparations, which were discovered by US intelligence (according to them), occurred some time after the Zionist entity launched its first missile attack on Iran on June 13."
Reuters claimed, citing US officials, "We have not ruled out that the preparation of the mines was a ploy by Iran to convince us of its seriousness in closing the strait."
On June 13, the Zionist entity, with US support, launched a blatant aggression against Iran that lasted 12 days, including military and nuclear sites, civilian facilities, and the assassination of military leaders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. Iran responded by targeting Israeli military and intelligence headquarters with ballistic missiles and drones.
The Strait of Hormuz is the only maritime entrance to the Gulf, separating Iran on one side and the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE on the other. It connects the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, approximately 20% of the world's oil flows through the strait, which the agency describes as "the world's most important oil transit route." At its narrowest point, it is 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide, but shipping lanes are even narrower, making it vulnerable to attacks and threats of closure.
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