Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday it would unveil new targets and weapons, and drew attention to seven undersea internet cables that cross the Strait of Hormuz.
The remarks were made by IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi at a ceremony at the Sacred Defense Museum in Tehran, according to Anadolu Agency, which cited Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
Mr Mohebbi said: "Seven major internet cables run beneath the Strait of Hormuz." He said all internet and commercial data traffic passes through them. That claim comes from Mr Mohebbi alone, and no independent source for it was found.
Anadolu reported that he also said the Guards wanted others to know that "new targets will be unveiled", and that new weapons would also be shown. No date or detail was given for either.
Mr Mohebbi did not say the cables would be attacked, and he did not name them as targets, based on the Anadolu text. Anadolu linked his comments on the cables to tensions between Iran and the United States.
Anadolu also reported that he vowed to drive what he called the remnants of US power out of the region. The agency cited earlier remarks by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, but the full text was not available.
No response from the United States to the remarks had been reported.
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Gulf. Undersea cables there carry internet traffic between Asia, the Gulf and Europe. No independent data on how many cables run there was available.
The remarks come after the war that began on 28 February, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, according to the reports reviewed. Tehran was hit in the first strikes, and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed.
Separately, Iran's parliament voted on Sunday 18 October to approve Mehrdad Akhlaqi as defence minister, according to Tasnim news agency. The vote was 237 in favour and 15 against, with no abstentions.
Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf chaired the session, Tasnim reported. The session was held online. Parliament presidium member Ahmad Naderi said the vote would be electronic because of "exceptional circumstances", according to ISNA, as reported by Shafaq News.
Reporting on the vote also described internet problems among lawmakers. Alireza Salimi, a member of the parliament's presiding board, said that of 285 lawmakers, 277 were present, but 25 could not register their votes because they had no internet connection, according to a Fars news agency report reproduced by the Zambian Observer. Iran International carried the same figure.
The cause of the connectivity problems was not confirmed. No reaction from the government or the communications ministry had been reported. The 25 missing votes did not change the outcome, as 237 is a majority of any of the totals given.
The reports do not show any link between the cable remarks and the connectivity problems in parliament. They are separate events.
Sources differ on the size of parliament. State radio, as reported by bluewin.ch, said 237 of 290 members voted for Mr Akhlaqi. Mezha said 277 lawmakers took part.
Mr Akhlaqi succeeds Mr Nasirzadeh, who was killed in the 28 February attack on Tehran. Majid Ebn-ol-Reza had been acting minister since then, according to bluewin and Mezha.
Mr Akhlaqi formerly headed the Aviation Industry Organization. He is under UN, US and EU sanctions, according to bluewin and Shafaq News.
Before the vote, Mr Akhlaqi said the response to any new US or Israeli attack would be "unexpected and extensive", according to Mezha.
Parliament is dominated by conservatives. President Masoud Pezeshkian, a Reformist, nominated Mr Akhlaqi in early October, according to Amwaj and bluewin.
Amwaj also reported recent clashes between the IRGC and Iraq-based Kurdish opposition groups.
The new defence minister now takes office. Further statements from the IRGC and from US officials had not been reported.
