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Naval commander: IRGC ready to close Strait of Hormuz if ordered
Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, who was overseeing the second day of a war game in the Strait of Hormuz, said that the decision to block the waterway rested with the country’s top officials, Tasnim reported.
On Tuesday, the IRGC conducted the second day of its naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, showcasing 24-hour “intelligence dominance” over the vital shipping route that links the Perian Gulf with the Sea of Oman.
The exercise, titled “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz,” involved rapid reaction units practicing counter-strikes against potential threats.
According to Tangsiri, the IRGC maintained comprehensive surveillance at surface, aerial, and subsurface levels to ensure safe passage for the more than 80 vessels that transit the strait daily.
During the drill, traffic through the strait was suspended for several hours on Tuesday.
He also described Iranian islands in the waterway as “impenetrable fortresses” and symbols of national honor.
The first phase of the maneuvers was conducted across Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf on Monday.
The drills come amid heightened regional tensions and repeated US threats to strike Iran if it does not accept nuclear demands, among others.
The United States has dispatched a large fleet of warships to regional waters near Iran, prompting authorities in Tehran to warn that even a single shot fired at the country would be met with a far-reaching and massive response targeting US bases in the region.