In a current speech, Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran’s former overseas minister and present member of parliament representing Tehran, asserted that capturing a single American navy base would decide the end result of the battle with the US.
“If we seize simply one of many American bases, we’ll finalise and end the destiny of the battle in opposition to the most important imperialist military on this planet,” Mottaki stated, in keeping with video circulating extensively on social media, together with a put up by the Open Supply Intel that amplified the remarks.
The feedback, delivered at a podium occasion coated by Iranian shops similar to SNN, align with a sample of more and more assertive statements from Mottaki amid the extended US-Iran confrontation that started with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes in late February 2026.
Proposal to take about 200 US personnel hostage
Mottaki served as Iran’s overseas minister from 2005 to 2010 below President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
He has remained a distinguished hardline voice within the Majles (parliament) and a frequent commentator on state media.
Earlier this yr, he repeatedly floated related concepts. In a June 2026 look on Iranian Channel 1, he argued Iran may conduct a “critical floor battle,” referred to as US bases within the area official targets already being struck, and proposed seizing one to take about 100 American personnel hostage and switch them to Iran.
In a July interview on IRINN TV, he escalated additional, suggesting Iran may occupy bases in Iraq, Kuwait, or Bahrain with native help, seize round 200 US “prisoners,” and thereby “utterly disarm” the US and halt its marketing campaign.
He additionally urged declaring Jordan and 6 Gulf states as hostile, making their complete territories official targets, and warned Ukraine over UAV provides.
These proposals echo components of Iran’s 1979 hostage disaster technique, treating captured personnel as leverage.
