TEHRAN, Iran — Military power near the strategic Strait of Hormuz could be bolstered by additional British forces, the country’s defense secretary said Tuesday, as a defiant Iran shrugged off Europe’s oil embargo and moved ahead with plans to hold naval exercises alongside the oil-tanker shipping lanes it has threatened to block.
Tehran’s bravado was in sharp contrast to the widening international pressures seeking to curb its nuclear program.
Australia became the latest country to shun Iranian oil, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief traveled to Israel for talks certain to convey the West’s belief that increasing economic isolation, rather than a push toward military action, is the most effective tool against Iran’s leadership.
Iran also has accused Israel of masterminding a series of covert attacks such as a malicious computer virus designed to infiltrate uranium enrichment labs, and targeted slayings of members of Iran’s scientific community. Israel has made no direct comments on the claims but dangled hints that clandestine operations are possible by Iran’s many foes.
The EU on Monday joined Washington in backing sanctions targeting Iran’s vital oil industry, a day after a Western flotilla entered the gulf in a show of force against any Iranian attempts to disrupt the route for one-fifth of the world’s oil.
Iran’s commanders, meanwhile, are preparing their own message. Plans remain in place for the powerful Revolutionary Guard to send its maritime forces for maneuvers next month in the strait.
