In a message released on Monday, Major General Abdollahi said Iran had repeatedly declared that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran and that any safe passage through the strategic waterway must be coordinated with the Iranian Armed Forces under all circumstances.
He said the criminal US leaders and the aggressive and terrorist US army, which has recently resorted to “piracy and theft” in international waters and endangered global trade and economy, should have realized by now that the resilient Iranian nation and the country’s prepared and powerful Armed Forces have proven in practice that they would respond in a “severe and regret-inducing manner” to any threat or act of aggression by enemies at any level and in any region of Iran.
“We would preserve and firmly manage the security of the Strait of Hormuz with full capability, advising all commercial vessels and oil tankers to refrain from any attempt to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without coordination with the Armed Forces (of Iran) stationed there in order not to endanger their security,” the top general stated.
He then warned that any foreign armed force, especially the “aggressive US army,” attempting to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz would be targeted.
Major General Abdollahi also cautioned supporters of the “malicious America” against taking actions that could lead to irreversible regret, saying that any aggressive US move aimed at disrupting the current situation would only further complicate conditions and jeopardize the security of vessels in the area.
His warning came after US President Donald Trump said the US will “help free up” ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz from Monday, suggesting that his administration will break Iran’s blockade of the strategic waterway.
Trump claimed that he was launching the campaign – dubbed Project Freedom – at the request of countries whose vessels are stranded in the strait, whom he referred to as “neutral and innocent bystanders”.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that it would begin supporting merchant vessels “seeking to freely transit” the strait from Monday.
On February 28, the United States and the Israeli regime launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran, during which then Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials were martyred.
Iranian Armed Forces responded with weeks of missile and drone strikes targeting American and Israeli military positions in the occupied territories and the Persian Gulf region, inflicting heavy damages in 100 waves of counterattacks over a period of 40 days.
Iran’s retaliation also featured the country’s closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz to vessels belonging to enemies and their allies.
The Islamic Republic then subjected the waterway to further restrictions, conditioning passage of vessels to their securing permission from relevant Iranian authorities. The latter move came after the US announced continuation of an illegal blockade it has been trying to impose on Iranian vessels and ports.
