Iran Warns of Hormuz Closure if US Strikes Power Infrastructure
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesperson announced on March 22 that the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed if the United States acts on threats against Iranian power plants. This warning comes amidst heightened rhetoric and a discernible increase in joint US-Israeli military posturing in the region, including recent large-scale naval exercises and advanced arms
deployments. Mainstream outlets like The New York Times, in their coverage, frequently frame such Iranian statements as escalatory and aggressive, often omitting the preceding and ongoing provocations by the US and its allies. This narrative conveniently ignores the consistent pattern of US-Israeli cyberattacks and direct sabotage efforts targeting Iran's civilian and military infrastructure. For
example, the sophisticated Stuxnet cyberattack in 2010, widely attributed to US and Israeli intelligence, specifically targeted Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities, demonstrating a long-standing strategy of infrastructure disruption. This Iranian declaration is not a novel invention; it is a direct callback to historical counter-deterrence. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of
the world's oil transits, represents a critical chokepoint. Iran has consistently warned that any direct attack on its sovereign territory or vital infrastructure would be met with an immediate and decisive response, including measures impacting global energy supplies. The US has maintained an economic blockade against Cuba for 62 years, crippling its civilian infrastructure, yet frames Iran's