World News
Iran: Closing Strait of Hormuz "Against Common Sense"
Deputy Navy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said in reports Monday it is "against common sense" for the Islamic Republic to close the Strait of Hormuz while it is also using the waterway.
Tangsiri added that, "We are present in this waterway anyway and if we can not use it, we will allow no one else to do so," according to the report by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the country's official news agency.
India's Hindustan Times speculated that that the remarks could point to Iran's efforts to build pipelines to Asian markets and develop other Iranian ports with direct access to the Indian Ocean.
Last week a bill in Iran to close the strait was backed by 150 of the parliament's 290 members, with MP Javad Karimi Qodoosi said to have described the strait as "the world's lock to which Iran holds the key" according to media sources including the country's FARS News Agency (FNA).
Earlier last week U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said any attempt by Iran to close down shipping in the Gulf "is something that we are going to be able to defeat."
Iran originally threatened to close the Strait following Western sanctions against the Islamic Republic which came into effect on June 28, 2012 and July 1, 2012.
Iran's parliament has not taken any action to date and it is unclear whether or not lawmakers could actually force the closure as it is jointly controlled by Iran and Oman.
Tension and military build up in the area has increased since the sanctions came into effect with 90 military vessels from other countries now reported to be present in the region.
Tangsiri told the Tehran Times that the "foreign presence does not make any sense. Foreign forces constitute a threat to the region and neighbouring countries. If something happens to U.S. nuclear aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman, the destructive environmental effects will threaten the region for years."
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