Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy warned on Friday that the US was moving closer to the “zero hour” for a potential Iranian military operation against US Central Command (CENTCOM) naval units in regional waters.
In a statement carried by Iranian state television, the IRGC Navy Command said the movements and military equipment of US forces were “under surveillance” by Iran’s naval units.
“The Americans are drawing closer by the moment to the zero hour of an operation by Iran’s Armed Forces against CENTCOM naval units in the region’s waters,” it said.
Earlier, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X that US forces destroyed a surveillance tower at Iran’s Shahid Kalantari Port in Chabahar on July 16, describing it as part of a maritime surveillance network used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) along Iran’s Gulf of Oman coastline.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and China have urged the United States and Iran to immediately cease hostilities and resume dialogue, as renewed fighting threatens the Islamabad MoU aimed at ending the conflict.
The call came after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Shanghai. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the meeting was held on the margins of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO).
“Peace is within reach; we cannot afford to lose it now, let alone let it slip away,” Wang said, urging all parties to fulfil their commitments and abide by the memorandum.