TEHRAN, Iran, April 16 (ANI): Military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mohsen Rezaei, issued a strong warning to the United States following its naval blockade on Iranian ports, stating that Iran will not withdraw from the Strait of Hormuz until its “rights are fully secured,” according to Iranian state media outlet Press TV.
Rezaei, a former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said Iran considers the strategic waterway a critical point of leverage and will continue to assert control over it in response to what Tehran describes as unlawful restrictions on its economic and maritime activity.
“Iran will not leave the Strait of Hormuz until its rights are fully secured. Based on past negotiations, agreements must be drafted more carefully, with a stronger focus on economic issues. Unlike the United States, which fears prolonged war, Iran is fully prepared and experienced in long-term war. Why do U.S. vessels and forces avoid crossing the Strait of Hormuz if Iran’s navy has supposedly been destroyed? Unlike previous talks where the other side set the terms, Iran is now setting the preconditions,” Rezaei said, as quoted by Press TV.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, has become a focal point in the ongoing confrontation between Iran and the United States, despite diplomatic engagement continuing in the background to seek a resolution to hostilities in West Asia.
The remarks come amid an announcement by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) that a comprehensive blockade of Iran’s ports has been implemented, with U.S. forces asserting maritime control across key regional waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that within 36 hours of the operation’s launch, U.S. forces had effectively halted all maritime trade entering and leaving Iran. (ANI)
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