Iran says coastal attack will lead to full Gulf closure and mine-laying
An attack on Iran's southern coast and islands will lead to Gulf routes being cut with the laying of sea mines, the country's Defence Council said on Monday according to state media.
The U.S. is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, according to Axios.
"Any attempt to attack Iran's coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf (...) to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast," the statement read.
"In this case, the entire Gulf will practically be in a situation similar to the Strait of Hormuz for a long time (...) One should not forget the failure of more than 100 minesweepers in the 1980s in removing a few sea mines."
The Defence Council recalled that non-belligerent states can only pass through the Strait of Hormuz by coordinating passage with Iran.
China warns of 'vicious cycle' if war escalates in Middle East
China on Monday urged all parties involved in the Middle East conflict affecting the Strait of Hormuz to end military operations to prevent a "vicious cycle" and return to negotiations.
"Should hostilities continue to escalate and the situation deteriorate further, the entire region will be plunged into chaos," the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said when responding to a question about U.S. President Donald Trump pressuring Iran to reopen the key shipping waterway.
"The use of force will only lead to a vicious cycle," he said adding that the war should not have begun in the first place.
Israel's El Al Airlines says reviewing operations after government limits traffic
El Al Israel Airlines said on Monday it was reviewing its continued operations after the Transportation Ministry ordered a reduction of traffic at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.
Israel's flag carrier, which has been operating repatriation flights since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli led air war with Iran on February 28, called on authorities to open Ramon Airport near the Red Sea city of Eilat as an alternative to Ben Gurion.
Indian LPG carriers Jag Vasant and Pine Gas in transit through Strait of Hormuz: Bloomberg
Ship-tracking data show two Indian-flagged vessels, Jag Vasant and Pine Gas, carrying LPG are sailing through the Strait of Hormuz taking a route close to the Iranian coastline, Bloomberg reported Monday.
The very large ships travelled northwards from the UAE coast toward Iran’s Qeshm and Larak islands early Monday, per Bloomberg.
Iran points at tit for tat retaliation if power plants targeted
Iran will retaliate to an attack on its electricity sector by targeting Israel's power plants as well as power plants supplying U.S. bases with electricity in regional countries, a statement by the Revolutionary Guards on Monday said.
The statement seemingly retracted earlier threats to desalination plants in the region, which are crucial for providing drinking water in Gulf countries.
"The lying ... U.S. President has claimed that the Revolutionary Guards intends to attack the water desalination plants and cause hardship to the people of the countries in the region," the statement shared on state media said.
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Iranian power plants would be targeted if Tehran failed to "fully open" the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping within 48 hours.
"We are determined to respond to any threat at the same level as it creates in terms of deterrence ... If you hit electricity, we hit electricity," the Revolutionary Guards said.
US Central Command leader says Iran campaign is 'ahead or on plan'
The top commander of the US military's Central Command said the campaign against Iran is "ahead or on plan," as the Israeli military began what it called "a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting Iranian terror regime infrastructure" early Monday.
US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper gave his first one-on-one interview of the war to the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International, which aired it early Monday. Iranian media reported new airstrikes targeting Tehran without identifying the sites being hit.
The previous day, Tehran warned it could attack US and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets if Israel or the US attempt to follow through on President Donald Trump 's threat that the US would "obliterate" Iran's power plants if it doesn't fully open the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump - who is facing increasing pressure at home to secure the strait as oil prices soar - issued the ultimatum in a social media post while he spent the weekend at his Florida home.
The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 US military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Trump reiterates his peace through strength' slogan
US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social website early Monday: "PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, TO PUT IT MILDLY!!!"
US Central Command's Cooper says Iran operating in a sign of desperation'
The head of the US military's Central Command says Iran is "operating in a sign of desperation" by targeting civilian sites in the war.
In an interview with the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International aired early Monday, US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper said: "They're operating in a sign of desperation. ... In the last couple of weeks, they've attacked civilian targets very deliberately, more than 300 times."
Cooper also noted the slowdown in Iranian incoming fire across the Mideast as the war has entered its fourth week.
"At the beginning of the conflict, you saw large volumes in the dozens of drones and missiles," Cooper said.
"You no longer see that. It's all one or two at a time."
US Central Command leader says campaign is ahead or on plan'
The top commander of the US military's Central Command said the US campaign against Iran is "ahead or on plan."
US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper gave his first one-on-one interview of the war to the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International, which aired it early Monday.
Cooper said Iran's continued attacks on Gulf Arab states and the wider Mideast put civilians at risk.
He added that the US and Israel were targeting missile and drone manufacturing sites as well.
"We're also going after the manufacturing," he said. "So it's not just about the threat today. We're eliminating the threat of the future, both in terms of the drones, the missiles, as well as the navy."
Cooper also said it isn't time for the Iranian public to come to the streets, although both Israel and the US have said they hope the Iranian public would topple the country's theocracy as a result of the strikes.
"They're launching missiles and drones from populated areas and you need to stay inside for right now," Cooper said. "There will be a clear signal at some point, as the president has indicated, for you to be able to come out."
Latest reports of live fire
1. Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said Monday it intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the kingdom's capital, Riyadh, while another struck an "uninhabited area."
2. The United Arab Emirates said its air defences were working to intercept incoming missiles from Iran early Monday, without elaborating.
3. Both Bahrain and Kuwait sounded missile alerts early Monday over incoming Iranian fire, though it wasn't clear if there was any immediate damage from the barrages.
