{"id":41816,"date":"2026-03-12T17:48:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/03\/12\/iran-insists-it-is-not-laying-mines-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-as-expert-warns-unmanned-naval-attack-drones-could-create-havoc-live-updates\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T17:48:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:48:00","slug":"iran-insists-it-is-not-laying-mines-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-as-expert-warns-unmanned-naval-attack-drones-could-create-havoc-live-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/03\/12\/iran-insists-it-is-not-laying-mines-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-as-expert-warns-unmanned-naval-attack-drones-could-create-havoc-live-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran insists it is not laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz as expert warns unmanned naval attack drones could ‘create havoc’ – Live updates"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By SAM LAWLEY, NEWS REPORTER<\/a> and SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Updated:<\/span>

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Iran has insisted it is not laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz after an expert warned unmanned naval attack drones could ‘create havoc’ along the vital waterway.<\/p>\n

The country’s deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi\u00a0said: ‘Some countries have already talked to us about passing the Strait and we have cooperated with them.’<\/span><\/p>\n

But he issued a warning to nations which ‘joined the aggression’, arguing they should not expect to ‘benefit from safe passage’.<\/p>\n

The country has recently claimed its arsenal of\u00a0unmanned naval attack drones is ‘huge’ and BBC<\/a>‘s diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams said today: ‘If [Iran] can continue to deploy them without being detected and destroyed, then its ability to create havoc in one of the world\u2019s most important waterways could last for some time.’<\/p>\n

It comes after Iranian security chief Ali Larijani has vowed\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a> will be ‘sorry’ over his ‘grave miscalculation’ after the President claimed a US victory in the war with Tehran<\/p>\n

Larijani directed his comments to the US President after Iran<\/a>‘s new Supreme Leader declared all American bases in the Middle East should close as attacks will continue.<\/p>\n

‘Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation,’ he wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Follow the latest updates on the US-Israel war with Iran<\/span><\/p>\n

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Iran’s deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has insisted the country’s armed forces have not been laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

It comes after Iran warned the world to prepare for oil to hit $200 a barrel, after it attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

The country has all but cut off access to the waterway, a chokepoint in global trade that ordinarily sees around 20 per cent of all oil pass through daily.<\/p>\n

Since the start of the war in the Middle East, however, it has established a domineering presence in the Strait, leading to oil prices hitting a peak of nearly $120 a barrel, before dropping to its price at time of publication of $87.<\/p>\n

The deputy foreign minister told AFP: ‘Some countries have already talked to us about passing the Strait and we have cooperated with them.’<\/p>\n

But he issued a warning to nations which ‘joined the aggression’, arguing they should not expect to ‘benefit from safe passage’.<\/p>\n

He added: ‘When the war started last June, after 12 days there was so called cessation of hostilities… but after eight or nine months, they regrouped and they did it again.’<\/p>\n

\"FILE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Iran will not close Strait of Hormuz, UN Ambassador claims<\/h2>\n
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Iran\u2019s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani has claimed Tehran is not planning to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, but adds it is the country’s inherent right to preserve the peace and security of the waterway.<\/p>\n

He made the comments while speaking to reporters at the United Nations.<\/p>\n

\"Amir-Saeid<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Israeli forces kill four ‘terrorists’ entering northern Gaza strip ceasefire zone<\/h2>\n
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The IDF has revealed it has killed four ‘terrorists’ who crossed the yellow ceasefire line in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today.<\/p>\n

A statement on X said: ‘IDF forces eliminated terrorists who violated the agreement and crossed the yellow line in northern Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

‘Combat teams of the “Iron Fist” Brigade (205) operating in northern Gaza Strip identified earlier today four terrorists who crossed the yellow line and approached the forces in a manner that posed an immediate threat. <\/p>\n

‘Immediately after the identification, the forces eliminated the terrorists in order to remove the threat. <\/p>\n

‘IDF forces under Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Netanyahu admits he cannot force Iranians to overthrow the Ayatollah<\/h2>\n
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Discussing further his hope that the Iranian population will overthrow the regime, Benjamin Netanyahu evoked a proverb, saying:<\/p>\n

You can lead someone to water, you cannot make him drink. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We will create optimal conditions to do this, including airstrikes as we did yesterday, as we are doing these days, to try to give them the space needed to take to the streets.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Asked whether he would pursue Iran\u2019s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Netanyahu replied: ‘I wouldn\u2019t take out a life insurance policy on any of the leaders of the terror organisations.’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Trump is a ‘great, personal friend’, says Netanyahu<\/h2>\n
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After discussing the progress of the war in Iran, and then urging the Iranian people to act against the ruling regime, Benjamin Netanyahu is now discussing his friendship with US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

He says:<\/p>\n

We have created an alliance unlike any before with the United States \u2013 an alliance with our great friend, my personal friend, President Trump. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We speak almost every day. We speak freely, exchange ideas and advice, and make decisions together.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Netanyahu adds he and Trump spoke a short time ago and the president told him: ‘Our relationship is one hundred times stronger than any relationship that has existed between an American president and an Israeli prime minister.’<\/p>\n

He continues:<\/p>\n

We are not thinking only about our countries, or only about this generation. We are thinking about future generations \u2013 about the future of humanity.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In these days, my team and I are weaving additional alliances with countries in the region \u2013 alliances that only a few weeks ago would have seemed imaginary.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Iran will ‘set region\u2019s oil and gas on fire’ if energy infrastructure is targeted<\/h2>\n
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Iran has threatened to wreak havoc on the region\u2019s oil and gas industry if its own energy infrastructure is targeted during its war with the US and Israel.<\/p>\n

‘We will set the region\u2019s oil and gas on fire with the slightest attack on Iran\u2019s energy infrastructure and ports,’ a spokesman for the Iranian military\u2019s central operational command, known as Khatam al-Anbiya, said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Netanyahu to Iranian people: It is in your hands<\/h2>\n
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More from Benjamin Netanyahu as he addresses both the Israeli population and the Iranian people.<\/p>\n

We are working to advance another objective: to create the conditions that will allow the Iranian people to remove the cruel tyrannical regime that has oppressed them for nearly fifty years.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We are delivering crushing blows to the Revolutionary Guards, their bases, their street forces, their checkpoints \u2013 and more is yet to come.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I say to the Iranian people: The moment when you will be able to embark on a new path of freedom is approaching. That moment is drawing closer. We stand with you. We are helping you. But in the end \u2014 it depends on you. It is in your hands.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If we had not acted immediately, within a few months Iran\u2019s industries of death would have become immune to any strike. Therefore, we went out together to battle \u2014 the United States and Israel \u2014 to continue what we began and to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To prevent Iran from developing ballistic missiles that threaten Israel, the United States, and the entire world. That is our objective.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Netanyahu: We are crushing the terror regime in Iran<\/h2>\n
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed Israel is ‘crushing’ the Iranian regime as well as its affiliate Hezbollah in Lebanon, in his first press conference since the Iran War began almost a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n

He said:<\/p>\n

We are crushing the terror regime in Iran. We are striking and defeating its proxies \u2013 Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hezbollah is feeling the force of our arm, and it will feel it even more so. It will pay a very heavy price for its aggression.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Through an unprecedented joining of forces between Israel and the United States, we have achieved tremendous accomplishments \u2014 achievements that are changing the balance of power in the Middle East and even beyond it.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"epa12788012<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Hezbollah attacks Israel – but no injuries<\/h2>\n
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Hezbollah has conducted another attack on Israel, with sirens ringing out in Kiryat Shmona and surrounding towns.<\/p>\n

Medics have confirmed that no injuries have been reported in the series of rocket barrages and drone strikes.<\/p>\n

It comes after terror group Hezbollah escalated its rocket fire on Israel last night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Breaking:<\/span>IDF: ‘Wide-scale wave of attacks’ begin in Tehran<\/h2>\n
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In the last few moments, the Israeli armed forces have confirmed a fresh series of strikes on infrastructure in Iran’s capital.<\/p>\n

The IDF X account posted: ‘The Israel Defense Forces have now launched a massive wave of attacks against the infrastructure of the Iranian terrorist regime across Tehran.’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Red Cross warns of long-term humanitarian crisis<\/h2>\n
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The Red Cross has been busy in the Middle East in recent days, with 700,000 believed to have been displaced in Lebanon alone, and a further 3.2 million in Iran.<\/p>\n

Based in\u00a0Beirut,\u00a0Gabriel Karlsson, Middle East and North Africa Regional Representative\u00a0for the\u00a0British Red Cross said:<\/p>\n

‘The shock of just a few days of violence could\u00a0create\u00a0ripple effects that\u00a0impact\u00a0the region for decades.<\/p>\n

‘I\u2019ve seen families sleeping in their cars, children, the elderly and people with disabilities\u00a0left with no shelter.<\/p>\n

‘People are forced to flee with little belongings,\u00a0become\u00a0separated\u00a0from loved ones,\u00a0and\u00a0are\u00a0struggling to find adequate shelter,\u00a0access to food\u00a0or\u00a0healthcare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘We are working\u00a0tirelessly to\u00a0ensure people are not in harm’s way, but the numbers are staggeringly high.’<\/p>\n

In Tyre, Lebanon, a Lebanese Red Cross paramedic was killed by an Israeli attack. His funeral took place on Wednesday, with hundreds of Red Cross staff in attendance.<\/p>\n

\"TYRE,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Iran could use ‘huge’ arsenal of unmanned naval attack drones to ‘create havoc’ in Strait of Hormuz<\/h2>\n
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As Donald Trump keeps reminding us, Iran’s conventional navy has been almost entirely destroyed over the last fortnight.<\/p>\n

But the Middle Eastern country has been preparing for this eventuality for a long time – by producing large arsenals of unmanned naval attack drones.<\/p>\n

Often called suicide drones, these weapons are packed with explosives and hurl into larger vessels in a bid to destroy them.<\/p>\n

Much smaller than huge naval ships, the drones can often dodge defensive systems. They have been used regularly by Ukraine against Russian ships in the Black Sea.<\/p>\n

The BBC’s diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams says: ‘If [Iran] can continue to deploy them without being detected and destroyed, then its ability to create havoc in one of the world\u2019s most important waterways could last for some time.’<\/p>\n

\"Mandatory<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Key Updates<\/span><\/p>\n

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    UK base in Iraq comes under Iranian drone swarm attack <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Oil prices surge past $100 after Khamenei vows to keep Strait of Hormuz shut<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Iran’s wounded Supreme Leader releases first edict: Everything you need to know<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Two US sailors injured after fire breaks out on aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Khamenei: ‘I lost my father, my wife’<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    New Supreme Leader to release first message, Iranian state media reports<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Israel attacks Iranian nuclear site ‘used to develop weapons’<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    US Navy to escort oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz ‘relatively soon’<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Major fire close to Bahrain International Airport following Iranian attack<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Oil prices surge and ships attacked: Key developments on day 13 of Iran war<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Three people killed after strikes in southern Lebanon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Israel tells residents in Douris, Lebanon, to ‘evacuate immediately’<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Israeli military launches ‘wide-scale wave’ of attacks on Iran<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Alarms in Bahrain have been activated, interior ministry says<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    ‘Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel,’ Iran warns<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Trump vows to ‘finish the job’ in Iran amid war in the Middle East<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Major fire hits neighbourhood home to Bahrain International Airport following Iranian attack<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    WATCH: Crew workers rescued from vessel hit by deadly Iranian attack<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    More than 1,100 children reportedly killed or injured as war continues across the Middle East<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

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    Oil prices skyrocket to $100 a barrel as Iran launches more attacks on Gulf ships<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n