Habibi, come to Iran: Tehran taunts US with Minesweeper video on transit via Hormuz

Iran has turned the Strait of Hormuz's growing mine threat into a taunt against the United States, with its embassy in Sierra Leone posting a Minesweeper-style video and challenging "Uncle Sam" to "come to Iran" as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalate.

"Habibi (Uncle Sam), come to Iran!", the embassy wrote on Thursday alongside a 35-second video showing a 3D map of the Strait of Hormuz covered with the familiar Minesweeper-style grid.

The video was posted days after US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington said the launchers were being prepared to deploy mines into the waterway, posing a threat to international shipping.

The issue is particularly sensitive because the US had only recently completed a major operation to clear Iranian sea mines from internationally recognised shipping routes. US Central Command said the operation involved Navy divers, SEALs and air support, with the cleared lanes reopened to commercial traffic.

Sea mines are a relatively low-cost but potentially highly disruptive weapon. Iran has previously used small vessels to lay mines, while analysts say some Iranian mines can use magnetic or acoustic sensors, making them harder to detect than traditional contact mines.

US-IRAN STRIKES INTENSIFY

Following the US strike, Iran retaliated with ballistic missile attacks targeting American military positions in Jordan. Jordan's military said it intercepted eight missiles, while reports said the attacks caused damage. The exchange marked another sharp escalation in a conflict that has already crossed the six-month mark, with Washington continuing its campaign against Tehran over its nuclear ambitions.

US Central Command said its latest strikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure, including air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets, communications facilities and mine-laying capabilities.

Iranian state media, meanwhile, accused the US of striking a wedding, killing four people and wounding nearly 70 others. The US military rejected the allegation, with Central Command spokesperson Timothy Hawkins saying, "We're aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media. The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC."

TRUMP WARNS OF A BIGGER RESPONSE

US President Donald Trump has warned Tehran against further retaliation, threatening an even stronger military response.

"If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!" he wrote on social media.

Trump has yet to achieve the goals he set when he launched Operation Epic Fury in February: dismantling Iran's nuclear programme, curbing its ability to strike neighbouring countries and paving the way for Iranians to challenge and potentially remove the country's leadership.

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With inputs from agencies