Trump threatens further military action against Iran; Iran plans to expand countermeasures to undersea cables

BlockBeats news, October 24: U.S. President Trump stated that the United States may launch another small-scale "Epic Fury" operation against Iran, but also said the U.S. could end the war quickly, with the key being whether to choose to thoroughly end the conflict or let the fighting gradually subside. Previously, The New York Times reported that U.S. and Israeli militaries had drawn up plans to strike Iran again after the U.S. midterm elections, but it remains uncertain whether Trump will approve them.

Meanwhile, the naval force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that two supertankers attempting to cross the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz struck mines on Friday, carrying a combined total of more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil, and the crew abandoned ship and escaped; the claim has yet to be independently verified.

According to Reuters, two senior Iranian security officials revealed that if the United States and Israel attack Iran again, Iran has drawn up plans to strike undersea communications cables in the Gulf region and may expand its retaliation targets to covert military bases. There is currently no information that any such strikes have been carried out. The U.S.-Iran military standoff continues to intensify, and risks to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and to energy and communications infrastructure in the Gulf region are rising further.