Iran has threatened a ground invasion of the UAE and Bahrainafter issuing four demands to the US over the Strait of Hormuz blockade
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader(Image: Getty)
Iran has dismissed “meaningless” negotiations and issued threats of a “ground invasion” against the UAE and Bahrain, two nations it considers “mutual targets”, in a furious rebuke to Donald Trump.
Dubai could once again find itself firmly in the crosshairs of the conflict, after Iran laid out its four key demands for talks with Donald Trump.
Tehran had previously declared it would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed for as long as the US blockade remains in place.
This follows US-Iran peace talks stalling earlier this week and Tehran’s seizure of two cargo vessels in the waterway.
Now, as tensions escalate once more, Iran’s state media outlet Fars News Agency has outlined Iran’s four red lines:
– Establishing sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz
– The nuclear issue (enrichment levels and stocks)
– American behaviour change: a duality of threats and begging, not goodwill
– Understanding that a ground attack will be met with a mutual response
These are widely regarded as the four principal obstacles behind Iran’s view that negotiations are now “meaningless”.
It further stated: Iran has no need to negotiate to bring the confrontation to an end, it is sufficient for the enemy to understand the “rules of the game”.
“If there is a ground attack, Bahrain and the UAE are mutual targets for a ground attack.
“If Iran’s infrastructure is targeted, the entire region’s power and oil facilities will be put at risk.
“Assassinations also have their own specific response, which has already been officially announced.
“This transparency in action does not require negotiation. If the issue is compensation or the release of frozen assets, a written and non-face-to-face solution (through legal channels or neutral intermediaries) is sufficient.
“Face-to-face or indirect negotiation merely gives the enemy time and credibility without being necessary for Iran.”