With tensions between the United States and Iran reaching a fever pitch, the Iranian consulate general in Mumbai has called attention to the West Asian country’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.
“Bro forgot that even after ‘smashing fleets’, control of the Strait of #Hormuz decides the game,” the consulate wrote on X.
This comes after US President Donald Trump’s deadline for a naval blockade expired on Monday. Following the collapse of high-stakes peace talks in Islamabad, the US military has begun blocking all ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.
‘Filmy dialogue hai’
The consulate reached back into the archives of 1980, a time when the world backed Saddam Hussein’s Iraq with everything it had. Yet, even then, Iran had held the narrow neck of the Gulf, outlasting the “noise” of the era.
The consulate suggested that “same script, new actors” is playing out again in 2026. “Baaki sab filmy dialogue hai boss (Rest are just lines from a movie),” they dismissed the American threats.
The Iran-Iraq war
The post referenced the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), when the region saw what became known as the “Tanker War,” during which both Iran and Iraq targeted oil shipments in the Persian Gulf to weaken each other economically. The Strait of Hormuz remained technically open but highly dangerous due to repeated attacks, mine threats, and naval clashes.
Iran was then led by Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, while Iraq was governed by Saddam Hussein as President. Western navies later stepped in to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
‘Picture abhi baaki hai’
In a follow-up post, the Iranian consulate described fast missile boats as “red bees of the Persian Gulf.” They also posted a video montage showing a rapid-fire edit of Iranian missiles screaming into the sky and swarms of fast-attack boats slicing through waves.
The consulate took a jab at Trump’s claims that the Iranian navy was a ghost of its former self.
“Funny how #Trump kept claiming #Iran’s navy was ‘finished’… now they’re about to find out how a swarm can pin you down real quick,” the post read.
“Abhi toh sirf trailer hai, picture abhi baaki hai (This is just the trailer; the movie is yet to come),” the post concluded.
Strait of Hormuz updates
Out on the water, the “movie” has begun. Tankers are turning back; and reports suggest a total halt in traffic. The US Navy has begun its work of enforcing the blockade.
Earlier, Washington warned that Iranian naval forces approaching a declared blockade will be “eliminated,” while Tehran and its allies dismissed them as “pure propaganda.”
The escalation comes after Trump said in a social media post that Iran’s navy had already been “largely destroyed.” He also claimed 158 Iranian vessels had been sunk in ongoing attacks. He added that only a small number of “fast attack ships” remained operational.
“Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated… If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
According to US Central Command, the naval blockade on Iranian ports and coastal areas aims to stop vessels from entering or leaving Iran’s waters.
