TEHRAN/AMMAN, July 13– Iran’s main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Monday the country will in no way let the United States interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The U.S. adventurism” has “seriously jeopardized the security of the region, international trade and passage of oil tankers,” Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the headquarters spokesman, said in a video message carried by Iranian media.
“We do not and will not, under any circumstance, allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” Zolfaghar said, adding the Iranian armed forces remain ready to respond.
He warned regional countries that Iran considers any cooperation with the United States and provision of logistical support to the U.S. army as war against Iran’s national sovereignty and security, saying that in case of the war’s expansion, its flames will affect “all regional countries.”
Separately, Hossein Mohebbi, spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, accused the United States of endangering the security of the world’s oil and gas supply by interfering in the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
“We will continue to exercise sovereignty and management over the Strait of Hormuz with force, and will compel foreigners and their allies to surrender to the will of the Iranian nation,” the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States is reinstating the blockade on Iran, preventing Iranian ships from entering or leaving.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump also claimed that the United States would be the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and impose a 20-percent charge on all cargo shipped through the waterway, calling it “a matter of fairness.”
Regional countries on Monday voiced concern over the escalating tensions.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, called for de-escalation and stressed the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz during a phone conversation, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul made a phone call and discussed the need to safeguard the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
They also stressed that dialogue remains the only path toward a comprehensive solution that ensures lasting security and stability, said a statement released by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
The United States has launched a series of strikes on Iran in the past week, citing Tehran’s attacks on ships seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz using a U.S.-backed Omani route. Iran responded by targeting U.S. military bases in neighboring countries.
