Iran will strike enemy vessels again if necessary: Senior commander
Iran’s Army Chief of Staff and Deputy Coordinator Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Sunday that Iran has struck enemy vessels and will target them again if further action is taken against the country.
“We have struck enemy vessels, and if anything happens against Iran again, we will strike them,” Sayyari said in an interview.
He said that the country has capabilities and resources that are widely recognized around the world.
“We have defended ourselves firmly and will continue to do so. Wherever necessary, we will take action to strike the enemy,” he said.
Iranian Armed Forces have been in full control of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli aggression against the country on February 28.
Commercial traffic through the strait has fallen sharply, with vessel movements dropping to single digits amid the ongoing war on Iran and the restrictions on shipping through the strategic waterway.
Tehran has said it will not reopen the waterway until the United States meets its demands and takes steps to restore Iran’s trust.
Iran has also warned vessels over using unauthorized routes to transit the waterway. Tehran says any movement in the chokepoint must be conducted under Iranian arrangements.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Saturday that a crude oil supertanker is in flames after striking a naval mine while attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz via an “unauthorized and dangerous route”.
The IRGC Navy said the tanker sought to leave the strait when it struck the mine, triggering a powerful explosion.
It added that the supertanker had switched off its navigation and positioning systems before the incident.
The vessel was now burning in a massive blaze visible to people living along the coast, the statement noted.
“A massive fire awaits any violating oil tanker that seeks to disregard the security and regulations of the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC warned.
The incident took place after the IRGC naval forces struck a giant liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier in the Strait of Hormuz attempting to pass through an “illegal route” south of the strategic waterway.
In a statement on Friday, the IRGC warned that action against vessels using unauthorized routes would no longer be confined to the Strait of Hormuz, saying violators would be pursued and punished across the entire region.