Iran Threatens to Bomb Its Own Territory as US Weighs Ground Operation - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency

Summary

Iranian officials have escalated their rhetoric as concerns grow over the possibility of a wider regional conflict, with military and political figures discussing responses to a potential US ground operation. Speaking on Iranian state television, Brigadier General Mohammad Akrami-Nia declared that Tehran would rather strike its own territory than allow it to fall under American control. "If America occupies our territory, we will even bomb our own territory. This is the logic of war," he said. The remarks came as US Central Command entered its 10th consecutive day of strikes against Iranian military targets. Fresh attacks overnight targeted command centers, missile and drone launch sites, maritime assets, and air defense systems, while Iranian state media reported explosions across several areas in the country's south. President Donald Trump is expected to decide on the next phase of the US campaign in the coming days. According to reports, the Pentagon has prepared several military options, including limited ground operations that would stop short of a full-scale invasion but could require thousands of troops and last for weeks or months. The White House has said military planners are providing the president with "maximum optionality," while stressing that no final decision has yet been made. As the fighting continues, the Pentagon disclosed that nearly 100 US service members have been injured since July 7. Officials said most of the casualties suffered minor concussions, although the military has faced criticism for delaying the disclosure of non-fatal injuries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to face questions from lawmakers in Congress as scrutiny over the conflict intensifies. According to official US figures, 15 American service members have been killed since the war began in late February. Iranian lawmakers have also called for a more forceful response. Former Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, now serving in parliament, argued that retaliatory missile strikes against US bases alone would not be enough. Referring to reports that Washington could attempt to seize Kharg Island and Iran's oil facilities, he said Tehran should capture American personnel instead. "I have been advocating for a ground war for a long time. We should seize one of the US bases in the region, capture its forces, and bring them back to our country," Mottaki stated. Another member of parliament, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, warned that Iran could broaden the conflict to neighboring Gulf states if American troops entered Iranian territory. He suggested Kuwait and Bahrain could face ground attacks under such circumstances. Addressing speculation over a possible US operation against Kharg Island, Ardestani argued that any occupation would be temporary. "Iranian missiles from Semnan, Zahedan, Isfahan and elsewhere can reach it. Occupying Kharg Island would turn it into a target for Iran," he said. Attention has also turned to Kuwait's Bubiyan Island, the country's largest island near the Iraqi border at the northern end of the Persian Gulf. Iranian political figures and social media accounts have speculated that, if the United States attempted to seize Kharg Island, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could launch a ground operation through southern Iraq targeting Bubiyan. Such scenarios envision the deployment of the IRGC's Saberin special forces unit, an elite formation with extensive combat experience inside Iran and across the region. Reports circulating online about Iranian military movements toward Kuwait's border have not been independently verified. Kuwait remains one of the main hosts of US forces in the Gulf and has repeatedly come under Iranian attack during the latest escalation. Earlier reports in March and May alleged that IRGC commandos carried out operations involving Bubiyan Island and clashed with Kuwaiti security forces. According to Kuwaiti authorities, six IRGC members landed on Bubiyan by rented fishing boat on May 1. Security forces intercepted the group, capturing four after a firefight that wounded one Kuwaiti soldier, while two others escaped. Kuwait's Interior Ministry said the detainees admitted they were IRGC personnel sent to conduct "hostile acts." Tehran denied the accusation, insisting the officers had unintentionally entered Kuwaiti waters because of a navigation system malfunction. The conflict has increasingly affected neighboring countries. Jordan's military said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed three Iranian missiles, while Kuwait reported intercepting additional missiles and drones overnight. The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi shipping, raising fresh concerns over regional energy supplies. At the same time, attacks on commercial shipping have continued in the Strait of Hormuz. A tanker off the coast of Oman was struck by a projectile, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel, while two additional ships were also reportedly hit. Shipping traffic through the strategic waterway has fallen sharply since the collapse of the ceasefire. Trump previously stated in mid-March that US strikes had "obliterated" military facilities on Kharg Island while deliberately avoiding damage to its oil infrastructure. He also warned that continued Iranian interference with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz could prompt Washington to reconsider that restraint. After Iranian attacks killed additional US troops this week, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over." Meanwhile, mediators continue to discuss a possible 10-day ceasefire, although Washington has downplayed expectations that such a proposal will be accepted in the near term.