Iran army says US bid to weaken its Hormuz control answered 'within 15 minutes'

Iran army says US bid to weaken its Hormuz control answered 'within 15 minutes' Iran responded decisively to the US attempt to weaken or eliminate the Iranian forces’ control over the Strait of Hormuz, army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia has said. In a statement carried by IRNA, General Akraminia revealed more details about Iranian response to US strikes on Sirik Island on 30 August. He said just 15 minutes after the strikes, the first Iranian missiles and drones were launched, targeting four US bases in the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, according to IRNA. Akraminia said the Army used Fat'h surface-to-surface missiles and Arash-2 combat drones in the operation, adding the weapons were equipped with artificial intelligence and new systems. “This made them very difficult for the enemy to intercept, and they successfully struck their targets with ease,” he said. "We are constantly working to modernise our equipment and had previously announced this," he said, according to IRNA. He said Iran is using asymmetric warfare tactics and combined tactics in its operations, adding it has received very positive feedback from this approach, enabling it to hit targets with ease. Drawing on the experience of the 12-day and 40-day wars, the Army and IRGC have entered this conflict “with greater readiness, motivation and confidence”, General Akraminia said. Akraminia said Iran's military doctrine has gradually shifted toward preemptive operations since the 12-day war, “based on available reasoning, which is also permissible under the UN Charter”. He said attacks on US bases in Jordan, Syria and Iraq's Kurdistan region were among Iran's preemptive operations. "This will continue. Whenever we sense a threat, we will carry out preemptive operations within the framework of international law to defend our rights," he said. The spokesman added that given the facilitation of missile and drone routes toward the occupied territories, any “aggression by the Zionist regime would certainly be targeted more easily, faster, and more decisively than before”, IRNA reported.