Shafaq News- Tehran

Any vessel intending to cross the Strait of Hormuz must obtain permission from Iran, the commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, stated on Wednesday.

In remarks carried by Iranian outlets, he added that two ships attempted to pass through the strategic waterway earlier in the day despite Iranian warnings and “based on empty promises”, adding that they later encountered a problem, though he did not provide further details.

Separately, Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the body that coordinates Iran’s armed forces, vowed that Tehran would not allow “even a single liter of oil” to pass through the strait for the United States and its allies. He said Iran’s armed forces “hold the initiative” in the Strait of Hormuz and are not required to close it entirely, noting that the current situation in the waterway resulted from policies imposed by the United States and what he referred to as “the Israeli entity” on countries around the world.

Zolfaghari also warned that any vessel or oil tanker owned by the United States, Israel, or their partners would be considered a legitimate target, clarifying that the strategy of “hiding behind neighboring countries and states in West Asia and the world” would no longer be effective.

He added that Tehran had repeatedly warned US President Donald Trump and Israel that “you start the war, but we decide how it ends,” stating that lowering global oil and energy prices “cannot be achieved through artificial means.”

Earlier, Trump warned Iran of “unprecedented” military consequences if it attempted to plant mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The US president also said American forces had destroyed 10 Iranian boats or vessels intended for mine-laying in recent hours as part of ongoing military operations against Tehran.