Iran on Wednesday renewed its warning to America against keeping a US navy presence in the oil-rich Gulf, underlining a threat that Washington has dismissed as a sign of “weakness” from Tehran. “Iran will do anything to preserve the security of the Strait of Hormuz” at the entrance to the Gulf, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said, according to the website of Iran’s state television.
“The presence of forces from beyond the (Gulf) region has no result but turbulence. We have said the presence of forces from beyond the region in the Persian Gulf is not needed and is harmful,” he was quoted as saying.
The comments echoed a warning issued Tuesday by Iran’s military that it would unleash its “full force” if a US aircraft carrier is redeployed to the Gulf. “We don’t have the intention of repeating our warning, and we warn only once,” Brigadier General Ataollah Salehi, Iran’s armed forces chief, said as he told Washington to keep its aircraft carrier out of the Gulf.
The White House on Tuesday had brushed off the warning, saying it “reflects the fact that Iran is in a position of weakness” as it struggles under international sanctions. The US Defence Department said it would not alter its deployment of warships to the Gulf. But on Wednesday, Salehi reinforced his warning, and called 10 days of Iranian navy war games just held near the Strait of Hormuz a “message” to the United States.
“The forces from beyond the region have received the appropriate message from these manoeuvres,” he said, according to the official IRNA news agency. “Those who have come as enemies should be afraid of our manoeuvres,” he said. The exercises climaxed Monday with the Iranian navy test-firing three types of missiles designed to sink warships. The head of Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission, Aladdin Brujerdi, was also quoted by the Fars news agency as saying the US description of Iran being weak “is a completely illogical stance.”
He added: “The US talks about sanctioning our oil but they should know that if Iran’s oil exports from the Persian Gulf are sanctioned, then no-one will have the right to export oil through the Strait of Hormuz.” The developments have helped send the prices of oil soaring, though they pulled back a little Wednesday. Brent North Sea crude contracts in London were selling for $111.58 per barrel. New York trading of West Texas Intermediate crude was at $102.30 per barrel.
“The situation with Iran remains worrisome,” said Nick Trevethan, a senior commodities strategist at ANZ Research in Asia. “The consequences of any military action in the Middle East will be enormous. A spike in crude prices will kill off any recovery in the US,” he added. The US Defence Department said in a statement it would continue the rotation of its 11 aircraft carriers to the Gulf to support military operations in the region.
Iran said it gives warning only once. So far that is the second warning to the United Startes of America.
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