I was trying to remember the term for besieging the besiegers, armed only with the thought fragment that the Romans had done it in Gaul* when these two guys showed up.
Mohsen Rezaei, military advisor to Mojtaba Khamenei: If the naval blockade continues for a period beyond a certain time frame, then we will be the ones who will attack. pic.twitter.com/LUUMFqaKHr
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 29, 2026
IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi: "We will break the blockade through negotiations. If not, through direct action." pic.twitter.com/WFfgdwhcCx
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 29, 2026
*It was Julius Caesar defending against same at the Siege of Alesia. The term is military investment and the tactic that Caesar used was to apply both contravallation against the town and circumvallation when the Gallic relief forces attempted to lay siege to his army.
Basically: If you are going to blockade Hormuz the we'll set up a siege line outside of your siege.
Thanks to The Archaeologist for scratching that itch:
Roman Siege of Alesia: Caesar’s Double Line of Fortifications
May 19, 2026
1. The Engineering of Circumvallation and Contravallation
The construction of a double ring of fortifications was a masterclass in ancient military logistics and defensive architecture....
And to History Collection for the visual:
