The Revolutionary Guards, the elite body of Iran’s military, today warned ships in the area not to attempt to cross without their permission and threatened any ships that do not comply with “appropriate measures”.
The future of the Strait of Hormuz, blocked since the outbreak of war on February 28, is a thorny issue in the Washington-Tehran talks.
Iran is considering imposing “tolls” on passage through the strait, which was not the case before the war, while the US opposes it, arguing that it is an “international sea lane”, although the waters of the strait border the Iranian and Omani coasts.
“The only authorized route for passage through the Strait of Hormuz is the one announced by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Revolutionary Guards said. Any crossing without Iran’s permission is considered “unacceptable and dangerous” and “appropriate measures” will be taken, they stressed in a statement, in which they denounced “the announcement by some authorities of a new sea route.”
