OMM Redaksiyası
A senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy threatened to sink US warships if they approach the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.
“We are waiting for American warships to approach the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz so that we can sink them,” Rear Adm. Ali Azmaei said in televised remarks. He added that Iranian forces were “counting down” to the encounter.
Azmaei claimed US warships “do not dare” approach the strategic waterway because they are vulnerable. He said a US aircraft carrier worth $13 billion had moved 700 kilometres (435 miles) from the strait.
“If the Americans want to see whether the Strait of Hormuz is open or closed, let them enter the field and see who controls it,” he said.
Azmaei also said Iranian forces had released information about two incidents in which “violating vessels” were punished. He accused the US and its regional partners of maintaining a media blackout on those incidents.
He claimed the IRGC Navy controls the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, while Iran’s regular navy controls the Gulf of Oman. Azmaei said the IRGC exercises “smart control” over the strait and issues permits for vessels travelling to and from Iran to use Iranian waterways.
Azmaei added that Iranian forces were better prepared than they had been at the beginning of the war.
Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have remained high amid the Iran-US war and disputes over navigation through the strategic waterway. Tehran says it controls passage through Iranian waters in the strait and has warned vessels against using routes it considers unauthorised, while Washington has insisted on freedom of navigation. Recent attacks on commercial vessels in and around the strait have further heightened maritime tensions.
