Iran begins planting mines in the Gulf

ABU DHABI -- Iran has upgraded preparations for war which have included threats of retaliation against the world's oil supply.

Gulf Arab officials said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has been planting mines in the Gulf. The officials said most of the mines were placed in Iran's territorial waters.

"This is a clear message by Iran that it is preparing for war," a Kuwaiti defense official said.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, right, watches military exercises with Army chief Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, left, in the Golan Heights on Aug. 12. The United States is at present opposed to any Israeli military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, Barak said on Aug. 27. AFP/IDM

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. Teheran has also warned that it would target Gulf Cooperation Council states in any retaliation for a U.S. attack.

Officials said the U.S. Navy and its Western allies plan to deploy at least one additional strike carrier group in the Gulf. They said the carrier group was expected to arrive in the Gulf by mid-September.

Officials said the U.S. Navy has been monitoring Iranian mining of the Gulf. So far, they said, the mining has not significantly hampered U.S. or other naval vessels.

In late 2007 and early 2008, IRGC confronted U.S. Navy vessels around the Strait of Hormuz, passage for more than 30 percent of global oil shipments. The United States has not reported such a confrontation since April 2008.

"Merely talking about such a closure [of the Strait of Hormuz] creates a state of tension and will raise the insurance costs on vessels passing through," Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Salem Al Sabah said. "We are now paying additional shipping costs because of an [Iranian] statement, which may be a trial balloon or a war of words."

Over the last two years, Iran has increased exercises and maneuvers in the Gulf. In July 2008, IRGC was said to have arrested a Kuwaiti national during an Iranian naval exercise. Iran has since denied holding the Kuwaiti.