Military commander says the US and its
allies could be denied access to vital passageway if they ‘threaten’
Tehran.





Iran will close the strategic Strait
of Hormuz, a passageway through which a third of the world’s oil is
transported, unless the US and its allies stop “threatening”
it, a senior Iranian military commander has said.


“If the Americans and their
regional allies want to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and
threaten us, we will not allow any entry,” state media quoted
Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the
powerful Revolutionary Guard, as saying on Wednesday.

Without elaborating on what he and
other leaders would consider a threat, Salami said that “Americans
should learn from recent historical truths”, most likely
referring to the January capture of 10 US sailors who entered Iranian
waters.

The sailors were
released less than a day later.


Salami added: “Americans
cannot make safe any part of the world.”  
The remarks followed those of Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who on Monday criticised US activities
in the Arabian Gulf.

US Navy officials say their boats have
near-daily encounters with Iranian naval vessels.

Iran and the US had no diplomatic
relations for more than three decades but tensions have eased after a
deal over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions was signed
last year.