Iran has warned that it could block trade routes through the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea if the United States continues its reported naval blockade of Iranian ports.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran's military said it would not allow exports or imports to continue through the region's major waterways if restrictions on Iranian shipping remain in place.
In a statement carried by Iranian state television, the head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran's top joint military command, said the continued US naval blockade of all Iranian ports constitutes a violation of the ceasefire.
“Our armed forces will not allow trade to flow through the Red Sea if the naval blockade continues. We will not allow any exports or imports in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman if the American blockade continues,” the commander said.
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The statement added that if the US maintains the blockade, “this will be a prelude to violating the ceasefire.”
Iran's military further warned that any action by the US that creates insecurity for Iranian commercial vessels and oil tankers could prompt retaliatory measures.
The semi-official Mehr News Agency quoted Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters as saying, “If the aggressive and terrorist America continues its unlawful actions of maritime blockade in the region and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, this action will be considered a prelude to violating the ceasefire.”
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He added, “The powerful Armed Forces of Iran will not allow any kind of export and import to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea.”
“Iran will act with full force to defend its national sovereignty and interests,” Abdollahi said.
The warning comes as The Washington Post reported,citing unnamed American officials, that the US is preparing to send thousands of additional troops to the Middle East in the coming days.
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