TEHRAN – Iran’s top general warned Sunday Tehran could close the strategicStrait of Hormuz shipping route if it faces more “hostility”, news agencyISNA said, as the US tightens up sanctions.
“We are not after closing the Strait of Hormuz but if the hostility ofenemies increase, we will be able to do so,” armed forces chief of staffMohammad Bagheri told semi-official ISNA.
“Also if our oil does not go through the strait, other countries’ oil willcertainly not cross the strait, too,” he added.
The statement came after Washington said on Monday it would start imposingsanctions on countries such as India, China and Turkey that buy Iranian oil.
Eight countries were initially given six-month reprieves after the UnitedStates reimposed sanctions on Iran in November, following President DonaldTrump’s decision to withdraw from a 2015 nuclear accord.
Iranian officials have repeatedly warned the Islamic republic could shutdown the strait, a vital shipping lane for international oil supplies,should it find its national interests or security threatened.
“We believe Iran will continue to sell its oil … (and) use the Strait ofHormuz. But if the United States takes the crazy measure of trying toprevent us from doing that, then it should be prepared for theconsequences,” foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday.
“It is in our vital national security interest to keep the Persian Gulfopen, to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. We have done that in the past andwe will continue to do that in the future,” he added. -APP/AFP