Iran sets red line on maritime security in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s military central headquarters “Khatam al-Anbiya,” said Iran will ensure security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman either for everyone or for no one, according to the official Telegram channel True Promise.

“The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran consider the defense of our country's legal rights a natural and legal duty. Accordingly, the exercise of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran in its territorial waters is a natural right of the Iranian people. Therefore, security in the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to be ensured firmly by the ready-to-sacrifice armed forces,” Zolfaghari said.

He added that hostile vessels are not permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and will not be allowed to do so, while other vessels will be permitted passage in accordance with Iranian military regulations.

“Given the continued threats from the enemy against the Iranian people and our country's national security even after the war, the Islamic Republic of Iran will firmly implement a permanent mechanism for controlling the Strait of Hormuz,” the spokesperson noted.

Zolfaghari also described US restrictions on maritime navigation as illegal and “a form of maritime piracy,” adding: “The imposition of restrictions by criminal America on maritime navigation in international waters is an illegal act and a form of maritime piracy. The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran clearly and firmly declare that the security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will either be for everyone or for no one. If the security of the ports of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada