Iranian mines under the main oil transport route may collapse energy trade: Orbán cabinet evacuates from the region
As tensions escalate in the Middle East, US officials say Iran could resort to mining the strategic Strait of Hormuz if American forces join Israel’s military campaign – a move that could trap US warships in the Persian Gulf and trigger a regional confrontation. Meanwhile, the Orbán cabinet is conducting a large-scale evacuation from the region.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery in oil transportation, closing it could trigger a collapse of the global energy market and an American intervention, Euronews wrote.
Iranians may block the Strait of Hormuz
“Officials said that in the event of an attack, Iran could begin to mine the Strait of Hormuz, a tactic meant to pin American warships in the Persian Gulf,” according to intelligence reviewed by the Donald Trump administration, as reported by The New York Times on Tuesday.
The threat highlights growing fears that an already volatile conflict could spiral into a broader war involving direct US-Iranian clashes.
The warning comes amid reports that Iran has readied ballistic missiles and other weaponry for strikes on US bases across the Middle East if Washington supports Israeli operations, particularly a possible strike on Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear facility.
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American commanders have responded by placing more than 40,000 troops in the region – including those in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia – on high alert.
Retaliation
Tehran has publicly signaled its willingness to retaliate. “Our enemies should know that they cannot reach a solution with military attacks on us and will not be able to force their will on the Iranian people,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday. He emphasized that the US and Israel would bear responsibility for any regional escalation.
US officials also told The New York Times that Iran’s missile bases are already within range of American installations in Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE, requiring little to no additional preparation.
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Meanwhile, the prospect of an American strike – potentially involving B-2 stealth bombers and the Massive Ordnance Penetrator – is under discussion, particularly if Israeli forces struggle to penetrate Iran’s hardened nuclear sites. But experts have cautioned against escalation.
“It is never too late not to start a war,” said Rosemary Kelanic of the Washington-based think tank Defense Priorities, the Times added.
She warned that a US intervention would only “multiply dramatically” Iran’s incentive to pursue a nuclear weapon.
Orbán cabinet conducts ‘one of the most significant evacuations of past years’
One of the most significant evacuation operations of the past years has reached a “safe phase”, the government has transported 87 Hungarians and one US citizen home from the Middle East, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Budapest late on Tuesday.
The number of Hungarians in danger and wishing to leave the region has been growing as fighting engulfed larger and larger areas, he said.
“Of course, we help everyone as usual. Evacuation is, however, more complex and difficult than ever before because the Israeli and the Iranian airspace are both closed. The Hungarians asking to be evacuated from Israel had to be bussed to the Israeli-Egyptian border, then to the airport at Sharm El Sheikh where the aircraft of the Hungarian Armed Forces was waiting.”
Szijjártó thanked the participating diplomats for “completing the operation so well and in a disciplined manner, despite the extreme difficulties.”
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