Iran has threatened to block the Straight of Gibraltar and access to the Mediterranean Sea unless Israel immediately stops its bombing of Gaza.
The country, whose activities have been blasted as “malign” by UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, issued the threat as chaos erupted in the Red Sea following a number of attacks on container ships.
Iran has now warned the West it could block the Straight of Gibraltar, which could effectively cut off the Mediterranean should conflict in the Red Sea continue.
Iran issues major threat to BLOCK Strait of Gibraltar in row over Isreal-Hamas war
GETTY IMAGES/PA
“They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, [the Strait of] Gibraltar and other waterways,” Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior member of the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said today.
Despite the warning, Tehran has yet to explain how it will follow through on its threat as it does not border the Mediterranean Sea.
In order to place ships at the Strait of Gibraltar, Iran would need to pass its vessels through the Red Sea, then the Suez Canal and finally traverse the entirety of the Mediterranean.
Alternatively, it could sail ships around the Cape of Good Hope on the most south-western point of Africa.
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The Rock of Gibraltar pictured from the seaPASyria and southern Lebanon, which are both known to have proxy militias of Iran do have access to the Mediterranean, through which nearly a fifth of global maritime trade passes.
Over in the Red Sea, Houthi rebels have attacked several container ships and forced several major shipping companies to reroute vessels around Africa.
The targeted ships have been attacked on a number of occasions by drones and missiles launched from Yemen.
Tehran’s threat comes after Lord Cameron said Britain would not tolerate Iran’s “malign” activities in the Middle East or on UK soil.
Trade routes could go round the Cape of Good Hope amid Red Sea attacks
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The former PM told the Telegraph that Iran must be sent “an incredibly clear message that this escalation will not be tolerated”.
Cameron went on to pledge that Britain would help “develop a really strong set of deterrent measures” against Tehran.
Identifying “the threat of Iran” as one of five significant “crises” in the world today, along with the Russia-Ukraine war, the conflict in the Middle East, terrorism and climate change, Lord Cameron warned the West was facing increased levels of danger compared to previous years.
He said: “Iran is a thoroughly malign influence in the region and in the world – there’s no doubt about that.
“You’ve got the Houthis, you’ve got Hezbollah, you’ve got the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that have actually been attacking British and American bases, troops.
“And, of course, Hamas. So you’ve got all of these proxies, and I think it’s incredibly important that, first of all, Iran receives an incredibly clear message that this escalation will not be tolerated.
“Second of all, we need to work with our allies to develop a really strong set of deterrent measures against Iran, and it’s important that we do that.
“The level of danger and insecurity in the world is at an extremely high level compared with previous years and decades, and the Iran threat is a part of that picture.”