Tehran said the Strait of Hormuz would be kept open if the United States stops issuing threats and carrying out attacks. The statement was made by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council.
According to the report, Iran is working to rebuild military infrastructure damaged in clashes involving the US and Israel, and has been conducting joint drills with allied groups. Tensions in West Asia have continued to rise, with the US military carrying out operations in the Hormuz Strait.
The report said US forces struck more than 60 Iranian military targets, including air defence sites, radar systems, naval facilities, seabed mine-laying bases and communications infrastructure. It also said the US provided protection to 40 commercial vessels carrying about 18 million barrels of crude oil as they transited the strait.
Rezaei warned that Iran could expand restrictions in the coming days and may declare a specific area outside the Hormuz Strait as a prohibited zone. He said commercial ships entering or attempting to pass through the restricted area without Iran’s permission would be added to Iran’s economic sanctions list.
He added that, for security reasons, full control of the Hormuz Strait rests with Iran and that Tehran is preparing formal requirements for reopening traffic. He said transport in the region can normalise only if the current conflicts come to a complete halt.
