CNN: Iran Has Begun Laying Mines in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran has recently laid dozens of mines. Previously, Trump had stated that if Iran mined, "Iran would face unprecedented military consequences." Foreign media have reported on the prospects of war and conflict between the US and Iran.
CNN cited U.S. intelligence reports, stating that Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The current scale of mining is small, with only dozens of mines laid recently, but the TV station pointed out that Tehran has the capacity to greatly increase the number of mines. Iran has a large number of professional mine-laying ships, and the U.S. military had previously announced the destruction of 16 of them and other several vessels.
Trump had previously claimed that if Iran laid mines, "Iran would face unprecedented military consequences."
The Süddeutsche Zeitung noted that Trump recently boasted that most of Iran's navy had been destroyed, but he ignored a key point: Iran still has a large number of mines and drones. According to CBS estimates, Iran has about 6,000 mines in stock. Combined with missiles and speedboats, Iran can certainly turn the Strait of Hormuz into one of the world's most dangerous waters.
The U.S. claims to ensure the safety of passage through the strait, saying that Iran is merely posturing, but German media believe that Trump may have underestimated the situation when launching a military action against Iran.
The Daily Telegraph said that Iran is adopting a "horizontal escalation" strategy: instead of directly confronting a stronger opponent, it expands the geographic and political scope of the conflict, raising oil and gas prices to increase the stakes for the United States. Its goal is to force Gulf countries to abandon their tacit support for the U.S. and bring the U.S. back to the negotiating table.
Axios noted that the U.S. government's ambiguous stance in the conflict has led traders, U.S. officials, and allies to speculate about how and when the Middle East conflict will end. The media listed five possible scenarios: an anti-government popular uprising within Iran, returning to nuclear talks, a ceasefire using the "Venezuela model," launching ground operations to eliminate the nuclear threat, and a scenario considered highly likely by foreign media — Trump declaring victory regardless of the circumstances. CNN said that Washington is already drafting such "victory declaration" plans.
The Wall Street Journal emphasized that even if the U.S. ends the war with Iran, Israel may not stop fighting, as the two countries have diverging goals. Israel wants the U.S. to remain as much as possible in the conflict, but the economic losses from the war are gradually pushing the U.S. and Israel apart.
The Washington Post pointed out that Republicans are concerned about the upcoming midterm elections in the fall. The newspaper believes that if the conflict continues for another two months, gasoline prices will surge, causing dissatisfaction among American citizens and leading to a "disastrous defeat" for the Republicans in the November midterm elections.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7615926874908213814/
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