Iran threatens to mine Gulf marine routes if southern coast, islands attacked

By Reuters 23 March 2026, 10:38 am

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This handout image taken by the European Space Agency, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, shows a view of Iran's Kharg Island, which hosts the country's main crude export terminal and is responsible for the overwhelming majority of its oil shipments to the world, about 30 kilometers south of the mainland in the north of the Gulf, on March 7, 2026. (European Space Agency/AFP)

An attack on Iran’s southern coast and islands will lead to Gulf routes being cut with the laying of sea mines, the country’s Defense Council warns, according to state media.

The US is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, according to Axios.

“Any attempt to attack Iran’s coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf… to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast,” the statement reads.

“In this case, the entire Gulf will practically be in a situation similar to the Strait of Hormuz for a long time… One should not forget the failure of more than 100 minesweepers in the 1980s in removing a few sea mines.”