Iranian military warns: "Sharks in the Persian Gulf are waiting for American soldiers"

The United States steps up troop deployments, the Houthis enter the battle, and the world worries the Middle East crisis could escalate again

March 28 marked the one-month deadline for the United States and Israel’s attacks on Iran. Although the U.S. side has been circulating rumors in recent days about talks with Iran, there are no signs at all that military actions by all parties are slowing down. U.S. President Trump recently claimed that its “destruction” operation against Iran’s energy facilities was delayed by 10 days, but it has been reported that the United States has continued to send troops to the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Central Command announced that the Marine Expeditionary Unit has arrived in the Middle East, and the “Bush” aircraft carrier strike group is stepping up its approach to the region. The Washington Post, citing U.S. officials, said the Pentagon is preparing to carry out a “ground operation lasting several weeks” in Iran. Israel has also increased the intensity of its airstrikes on Iran, even carrying out multiple strikes on Iran’s nuclear-related facilities. At the same time, Iran has launched an all-around counteroffensive, using missiles and drones to precisely strike Israel and surrounding U.S. military bases and American assets. On the 28th, Yemeni Houthi forces also officially entered the battle, firing missiles at Israel. CNN said that the Houthis’ entry into the Middle East conflict will pose a major threat to another vital chokepoint for international energy and cargo shipping— the Strait of Mandeb connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean—meaning the Middle East conflict will escalate further. A spokesperson for the Hatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of Iran’s armed forces warned on the 29th that U.S. ground operations in Iran would only “send itself into the abyss of confinement and death,” adding that “the sharks in the Persian Gulf are waiting for American servicemembers.”

Local time on the 28th, Washington, U.S., residents hold protests against the U.S. war on Iran. (Visual China)

No sign that the fighting is easing at all

“One month into the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, there’s not a sign that it’s slowing down.” NBC reported on the 28th that although Trump recently again postponed the “destruction” operation against Iran’s energy facilities, the U.S. and Israel have not stopped their large-scale attacks on Iran.

According to Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency, on the 29th the United States and Israel attacked an Iranian port near the Strait of Hormuz, killing 5 people and injuring 4. The Israel Defense Forces said on the 29th that the Air Force carried out a “large-scale strike” on infrastructure in central Tehran, Iran’s capital, including dozens of weapons storage and production facilities, as well as several command centers.

Late night on March 28, 2026, Tehran, Iran, with large amounts of thick smoke rising over the city. (Visual China)

What has worried multiple sides is that in the past two days, the U.S. and Israel carried out airstrikes on multiple nuclear facilities in Iran, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, a heavy-water reactor in Arak, and a yellow cake production plant in Yazd Province. The International Atomic Energy Agency said on the 28th that it had received notification from Iran that the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was hit again— the third time the plant has been attacked within 10 days. The agency’s Director General, Grossi, once again urged all sides to exercise the utmost military restraint and avoid the risk of a nuclear accident. The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized on the 28th that Israeli airstrikes on multiple nuclear-related facilities in Iran openly violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Convention on Nuclear Safety, and should face “unequivocal and firm” condemnation from the international community.

In response to the U.S.-Israel airstrikes, Iran has launched an all-around counterattack. In a statement issued on the 29th, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that early that day it carried out Operation “True Promise—4” Wave 86, and that U.S. military facilities in the Middle East as well as facilities of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet were hit by “precise strikes.” Iran has also recently carried out missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Saudi Arabia, destroying two refueling aircraft, and another U.S. E-3 early warning aircraft was damaged.

The U.S. Wall Street Journal reported on the 28th, citing U.S. and Saudi officials, that a recent Iranian attack hit the air base of Saudi’s Crown Prince, seriously damaging a key E-3 early warning aircraft. Multiple aerial refueling aircraft were affected by the blast, and the attack also injured more than a dozen servicemembers.

Meanwhile, on the 28th, Yemeni Houthi forces confirmed that they had carried out a “first use of powerful ballistic missiles” strike on sensitive military targets in Israel in support of Iran and the resistance front, adding that the operation “will continue until the aggression stops.”

Reuters said the Houthis fired missiles at Israel and joined the Middle East battlefront. This attack shows that global shipping faces a new threat. If the Houthis open a new front in the conflict, their target could be the Strait of Mandeb, a maritime chokepoint for access to the Suez Canal. Mansour, the deputy minister of information of the Houthis, warned in a media interview: “We are carrying out this fight in stages, and closing (the Mandeb) Strait is one of the options available to us.”

CNN said that the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been blocked for a month. The Houthis’ entry into the Middle East conflict will threaten another vital chokepoint—the Strait of Mandeb. Navigation through the Mandeb Strait is extremely difficult, and the narrowest point is only 29 kilometers wide. A large share of global ocean shipping containers and about 12% of global seaborne oil must pass through the Mandeb Strait.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency warned on the 28th that the U.S. “should be careful and not add another strait challenge to itself.”

Preparing for a ground operation?

Bloomberg reported on the 29th that as the situation in the Middle East escalates, concerns that the conflict could drag on for a long time are growing. Over the past two days, U.S. President Trump and other senior U.S. officials have repeatedly claimed that negotiations with Iran “are making progress.” Speaking at a meeting in Miami, Trump reiterated that “we are negotiating with Iran; they want to reach an agreement,” but he also threatened that “the war with Iran is not over yet,” saying, “we still have 3554 (attack) targets,” adding that “this will be completed soon.”

On the 28th, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said that the war with Iran will continue for “2 to 4 weeks,” adding that the U.S. can still achieve its goals for military action against Iran without deploying ground forces. On the same day, U.S. presidential envoy Witkoff said that the U.S. and Iran would hold negotiations, and that “we are indeed full of hope.”

Although the U.S. government is trying to ease public anger and concerns about the war continuing, the U.S. Congressional Daily reported on the 28th that the Pentagon is accelerating the pace of sending thousands of additional Marines and warships to the Middle East. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement on social media on the 28th that the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which boarded the amphibious assault ship “Tripoli,” has arrived in the Central Command’s area of responsibility. The unit is composed of about 3,500 Marines, and also includes transport aircraft, attack fighters, as well as amphibious and tactical equipment. The New York Times said that multiple U.S. ships, including the amphibious assault ship “Whipser,” along with about 2,500 Marines belonging to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are heading to the Middle East. The “Bush” aircraft carrier will also be deployed to the Central Command’s area of responsibility.

The Washington Post, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reported that the Pentagon is preparing to carry out a “ground operation lasting several weeks” in Iran. It is currently unclear to what extent Trump will approve the Pentagon’s action plan. If he “chooses to escalate the operation,” that would mark a “dangerous new phase” in the war. The report said that for the U.S., once the conflict evolves into a ground operation, both the intensity of fighting and the number of casualties would rise to “a completely different level.”

On the 29th, the speaker of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, Kalibaf, said that while the U.S. openly releases signals of negotiation, it is secretly planning a ground offensive. He said the fighting is at the most critical moment. The United States has suffered huge losses, Israel has been hit, and Iran’s strike actions are “precise and pioneering.”

On the 29th, foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia held a meeting in Islamabad to discuss ways to ease the situation in the Middle East. The day before, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz spoke by phone with Iranian President Pezeshkian, and Shehbaz said he hoped they could jointly find a viable path to end the Middle East war. Pezeshkian said: “Today, although the U.S. claims and pledges that it will not attack Iran’s economic and energy infrastructure, we are witnessing these infrastructures becoming targets of attacks.” He said the U.S. “contradictory words and deeds” have intensified Iran’s distrust of the United States.

“One month of chaos and an uncertain future”

“One month of chaos and an uncertain future.” Spain’s El País reported on the 29th that although Trump has repeatedly claimed that the “almost ended” war against Iran is still escalating, moving in the direction of indefinite postponement, it has also spread to most countries in the region. Tehran’s stance is more determined and even tougher—it refuses to make any concessions to Washington. The spread of the war has dealt a serious blow to the world economy and financial markets.

“New York Voice” said on the 28th that over the past month, Trump has claimed at least 3 times that the war with Iran has “been won,” but he still has not explained the real meaning of “winning.” At present, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Although Iran has been heavily battered, it is still alive, while Wall Street stock markets have fallen for the 5th consecutive week. For the U.S., the question is no longer whether the war has already been won, but “how to exit the war in a way that does not cause catastrophic consequences.” The report said that the line between what the U.S. calls “victory” and what it calls defeat is far more blurry than it appears, and Trump’s “epic fury” action toward Iran risks evolving into an “epic-level failure.”

According to a report by Iran’s Islamic Republic Broadcasting and Television on the 29th, a spokesperson for the Hatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of Iran’s armed forces issued a statement that day, responding to U.S. threats to launch a ground operation and seize parts of Iranian islands, saying that the Iranian military is prepared to respond to attacks, adding that “the sharks in the Persian Gulf are waiting for American servicemembers.” Iran’s Navy Commander Shahram Irani also said on the same day that once the U.S. “Lincoln” aircraft carrier strike group enters its range, Iran will launch various missiles from the coast at sea to strike. Irani said Iran has fully controlled the waters east of the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, and “is waiting for the right moment to take revenge on the enemy.”

Source: Global Times-Global Net’s U.S. correspondent Xiao Da, Global Times-Global Net’s correspondent Wang Yi
Editor: Shi Yu
Proofread: Fan Yuwei
Review: Zhu Wentan