Iran Says It Foiled Planned US Ground Assault

By Staff, Agencies

Iran has thwarted a planned US ground assault against the country and will not allow the establishment of a "second corridor" through the Strait of Hormuz, senior adviser to Iran's Leader Mohsen Rezaei said on Tuesday.

Speaking to Iranian state television in remarks carried by Sputnik, Rezaei said recent US attacks on Iran's southern Hormozgan Province formed part of a broader strategy to isolate the country's southern coastline from the interior.

His remarks come as Iran continues negotiations with Oman over shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz following recent military escalation with the United States.

Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran's Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei, said US Central Command had miscalculated its military strategy, leading to the failure of a planned ground offensive.

He said US attacks on bridges and transportation routes in Hormozgan were intended to cut the province off from neighboring Fars Province, isolating Iran's southern coast from the rest of the country.

According to Rezaei, Iranian precision strikes inflicted heavy damage on a US military base in Kuwait, prompted the evacuation of Erbil, and forced US Central Command to relocate its regional headquarters from Jordan to the occupied Palestinian territories.

He also said Iranian forces continued military operations for two days after US attacks had ceased to ensure Washington understood "the consequences of its actions."

Rezaei warned that Iran would not permit the creation of what he described as a "second corridor" through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Tehran would target any warship or military force approaching the area.

His remarks follow comments by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, who said Tehran's ongoing talks with Oman are focused on establishing a temporary safe-passage mechanism through the Strait of Hormuz while maintaining Iranian oversight.

Baghaei said any future arrangement would be temporary and would allow maritime traffic to continue without restoring the pre-war status quo.