Iran warns Gulf ports are ‘either for everyone or for no one’
The unified command of the Iranian armed forces has stated that ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are “either for everyone or for no one.”
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran consider defending the legal rights of our country a natural and legal duty, and accordingly, exercising the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the territorial waters of our country is the natural right of the Iranian nation,” the unified command stated, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Iran said it will continue ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz, adding that “enemy-affiliated vessels do not and will not have the right to pass” through it.
The statement added that other vessels will be allowed passage through the strait, subject to regulations imposed by Iran.
It further said that, given continued threats from the enemy against Iran’s national security even after the end of the war, the Islamic Republic will implement a permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement also described the imposition of restrictions on vessel movement in international waters as “illegal” and “amounts to piracy.”
Iran warned that if the security of its ports is threatened, “no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe.”
News.Az
By Nijat Babayev
