TEHRAN — Iran has vowed not to allow US military vessels to enter the Persian Gulf under any circumstances, as tensions rise amid warnings of possible renewed US and Israeli attacks. Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, made the remarks on Saturday, October 24, according to Iranian state television.
“We will not allow US military ships in the Persian Gulf under any circumstances and at any time,” Abdollahi said. He added that US President Donald Trump would have to take the prospect of American military forces entering the Gulf “to his grave.”
The statement came as US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack warned that a US strike on Iran as soon as the weekend could not be ruled out. The remarks were reported amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian forces have restricted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict with the United States began on February 28, according to reports. The strategic waterway connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a major route for global energy shipments. The United States has responded by imposing a blockade on Iranian ports and vessels, according to the reports.
Tehran has required ships to obtain permission to transit the strait. Iranian forces have also targeted vessels attempting to use a southern route near the Omani coast, according to reports.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said several tankers attempting to cross the strait through a route Tehran considers unauthorized had been struck by mines in recent days. On Friday, the Guards reported that two supertankers carrying more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil had been abandoned at sea after striking mines in the strategic waterway.
“Their engine rooms were disabled by an explosion and a fierce fire,” the Guards said in a statement carried by its Sepah News website. The claims about the tankers and the circumstances of the reported incidents have been attributed to the IRGC.
Before the conflict, approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz, making it one of the most important energy corridors in the world. Any prolonged disruption to shipping through the strait could have wider implications for international energy markets and maritime security. Iran’s latest warning underscores the continuing confrontation over military access to the Persian Gulf and control of the strategically important waterway.
