Security in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be enforced on a reciprocal basis, following the United States’ announcement of a naval blockade targeting Iran, the spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, stated, Al Mayadeen reported.
Zolfaghari said Iran considers the defense of its territorial waters a “natural and lawful duty," stressing that the presence of foreign-aligned vessels in key maritime corridors will not be permitted.
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran explicitly and decisively declare that the security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for no one,” the spokesperson said, warning that any threat to Iranian maritime security would result in broader regional consequences.
The statement reaffirmed Tehran’s position that it will continue to regulate passage through the Strait of Hormuz under a “permanent regime” implemented by its armed forces. It also stated that vessels affiliated with adversaries “do not have and will not have the right to pass” through the strategic waterway, while other ships would be allowed transit under Iranian regulations.
Iran emphasized that US restrictions on maritime navigation are “illegal” and an act of “maritime piracy”.
“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,” Zolfaghari emphasized.
The US move comes after US President Donald Trump announced measures to interdict vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports following 21 hours of inconclusive talks between US and Iranian officials in Pakistan.
bd-pratidin/GR
