TEHRAN— Iran will respond to any attack with a significantly larger number of strikes, the spokesman for the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday, warning that Tehran would target as many as 20 enemy positions if two or three Iranian targets were attacked.

Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi made the remarks while speaking to reporters about the IRGC Navy's reported capture of a US unmanned submarine in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran's control and management of the strategic waterway had become "realized, certain and demonstrable."

He said Iran would use 'its established capabilities' in the Strait to respond to any hostile action.

"Any vessel that intends to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without taking Iran's management of the waterway into consideration will definitely not be able to pass through," Mohebbi said.

His comments underline the strategic importance Tehran attaches to the Strait, one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints and a major conduit for global energy shipments. Iran has repeatedly emphasized that its geographic position along the northern shore of the waterway

gives it substantial leverage in any military confrontation in the Persian Gulf.

US naval forces have withdrawn

Mohebbi also addressed the deployment of US naval forces in the Persian Gulf before the beginning of the "US-Israeli war of aggression" against Iran.

He said between 30 and 40 US vessels and warships had previously been deployed inside the Persian Gulf but revealed that none remained in the area.

"Today, not even a single one of them is present in this area, and US warships have withdrawn at least 400 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

The IRGC spokesman also sought to underscore Iran's ability to conduct strikes at considerable distances, saying advances in missiles and other weapons had expanded the range of Tehran's retaliatory options.

"We also hit an aircraft carrier a few days ago at a distance of about 500 kilometers," Mohebbi said.

He then issued a broader warning about the scale of any potential Iranian retaliation. "We have reached a point where if the enemy hits two or three of our targets, we will respond strongly with 20 targets," he said.

"The Islamic Republic will use this power to respond to the enemy's aggression and make the enemy regret continuing its aggression," Mohebbi added.

Deterrence through asymmetric capabilities

The remarks reflect a central element of Iran's military doctrine: seeking to deter attacks by demonstrating an ability to impose costs beyond the immediate battlefield.

Rather than relying solely on conventional force projection, Iran has invested heavily in missiles, drones, fast attack craft, naval mines and other asymmetric capabilities. The IRGC Navy has in particular developed tactics intended to exploit the geography of the Persian Gulf and Strait of

Hormuz, where narrow waterways and dense commercial traffic can complicate the operations of larger naval forces.

The Strait of Hormuz is especially significant because of its role in international energy markets. Millions of barrels of crude oil, condensate, and petroleum products pass through the waterway each day, making any sustained disruption potentially consequential for global oil supplies and prices.

For Tehran, however, the strategic value of Hormuz extends beyond its economic importance. Iranian officials have repeatedly presented control of the waterway as a component of national deterrence, arguing that the ability to threaten or restrict maritime traffic can raise the costs of military action against Iran.

Mohebbi's warning therefore appears intended not only as a battlefield threat but also as a message of deterrence: any attack on Iranian territory or military assets, Tehran says, could trigger retaliation on a substantially larger scale.

Such statements remind one not 'an eye for an eye,' but 'two eyes for an eye'."