Iran hardliner says closing Strait of Hormuz forced enemies to retreat

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of Iran’s hardline Kayhan newspaper, said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would remove one of the key deterrents against renewed attacks on Iran.

In remarks published by the newspaper, Shariatmadari argued that Iran’s closure of the strategic waterway and what he described as Tehran’s “legal sovereignty” over the strait had played a decisive role in forcing the country’s adversaries to retreat during the recent conflict, Iran International reports.

“One of the main and most effective levers that brought the enemies of Islamic Iran to their knees in the recent war was closing the Strait of Hormuz and exercising the Islamic Republic’s legal sovereignty over this strategic waterway,” he wrote.

Shariatmadari also said that maintaining control over the strait could provide Iran with billions of dollars annually through transit fees imposed on oil tankers and commercial shipping vessels.

According to him, a rise in global oil prices linked to tensions in the waterway would also boost Iran’s foreign currency revenues.

By Vafa Guliyeva