Iranian commander threatens to close Strait of Hormuz to US

TEHRAN // The deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said its forces will close the Strait of Hormuz to the United States and its allies if they “threaten” Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday.

The comments by Gen Hossein Salami, carried on state television, follow a long history of both rhetoric and confrontation between Iran and the US over the strait, through which nearly a third of all oil traded by sea passes.

The remarks by the acting commander of the Revolutionary Guard also follow those of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who on Monday criticised US activities in the Arabian Gulf.

It’s unclear whether that signals any new Iranian concern over the strait or possible confrontation with the US following its nuclear deal with world powers.

The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In his remarks, Gen Salami said that “Americans should learn from recent historical truths,” likely referring to the January capture of 10 US sailors who entered Iranian waters. The sailors were released less than a day later, though state TV aired footage of the sailors on their knees with their hands on their heads.

“If the Americans and their regional allies want to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and threaten us, we will not allow any entry,” Gen Salami said, without elaborating on what he and other leaders would consider a threat.

US Navy officials say they face near-daily encounters with Iranian naval vessels. In January, an unarmed Iranian drone flew over a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Gulf, the first since 2014, according to Navy records obtained by the Associated Press.

The US has also criticised what it called a “highly provocative” Iranian rocket test in December near its warships and commercial traffic. Iran said it has the right to conduct tests in the strait and elsewhere in the Gulf.

Iran also sank a replica of a US aircraft carrier near the strait in February 2015 and has said it is testing “suicide drones” that could attack ships.

* Associated Press