Iran is preparing for another potential showdown with President Donald Trump, and Tehran is now threatening to expand the conflict across the Middle East, launch ground incursions into neighboring countries, sink American warships, and kill U.S. military personnel if Washington resumes major strikes against the Islamic Republic.
Iran has reportedly constructed massive dirt mounds around its Pickaxe Mountain and Natanz nuclear facilities in an effort to obstruct potential ground raids by U.S. or Israeli forces.
According to a report published Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal, the Iranian regime is reinforcing military installations, deploying ground forces along its borders, and preparing civilians for another round of fighting.
Iranian officials have reportedly warned regional governments that any renewed American offensive could trigger retaliatory attacks far beyond Iran’s borders, including the possibility of Iranian ground troops entering neighboring countries, according to individuals familiar with the warnings.
Earlier this month, Iranian Army Ground Force commander Brig. Gen. Ali Jahanshahi announced that more than 50 combat and support units (including mobile, rapid-reaction, armored, mechanized, artillery, engineering, missile, and UAV elements) remain deployed from the northwest through the west, southwest, east, southeast, and along the Makran coast.
Earlier reporting from Iranian outlets and regional media indicated the bulk of ground forces had been shifted to frontier positions, with special emphasis on the southern coastline facing the Gulf of Oman amid fears of potential US entry points.
Tehran has also reportedly informed mediators that American military personnel would face more aggressive attacks, including attempts to sink U.S. Navy vessels operating in the Middle East and kill their crews.
At the same time, the regime is preparing its population for renewed fighting. Billboards in Tehran now advertise civilian training courses in the use of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles and sniper rifles.
Paramilitary forces have been sent to kindergartens to read war stories to children; in Sabzevar, a Revolutionary Guard unit visited young students, recounted earlier fighting, and displayed what it claimed was a neutralized US Tomahawk missile.
The IRGC has also publicized training of its first female commando units in guerrilla tactics, firearms, and drone operations.
More from Wall Street Journal:
Satellite images show Iran is strengthening sensitive locations, including nuclear sites and border areas, to make them more resilient to attacks. The government is also preparing Iranians for renewed war, sending paramilitary forces to read war stories to kindergartners, advertising training in firing shoulder-mounted antiaircraft missiles and holding rallies.
[…]
Iran has stepped up its strikes on vessels in the Persian Gulf area. At least three commercial vessels were hit over the weekend in and around the strait, according to U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, which is affiliated with the Royal Navy. A drone attack set a fire on Emirati tanker Petro Dolphin near Oman on Sunday, leaving two Indian sailors missing.
The missile attack by Houthi militants on the airport in Riyadh killed at least 13 people and injured hundreds more on Saturday, the single deadliest attack on the U.S. or its Gulf allies in the conflicts related to the Iran war.
[…]
Iran has also reinforced protection around its nuclear sites and other security-related bunkers. Last month, it built passive defense measures such as makeshift dirt mounds around its Pickaxe Mountain and Natanz nuclear sites to impede any attempted raid by ground forces, according to Vantor satellite images analyzed by the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit.
Iranian officials are touting their efforts. The country’s airports, seaports and power plants “have prepared for wartime conditions,” installing shelters and backup supplies to continue operating in a crisis, Brig. Gen. Gholamreza Jalali, the official in charge of the country’s contingency plans, told reporters at the end of September.
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.