Iranian Regime threatens countries aiding US, warns Strait of Hormuz will remain closed

TEHRAN, July 30: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned countries assisting the United States of a “harsh response” unless they changed their conduct, while saying the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed amid continued US threats and interference in regional maritime traffic.

In a statement issued Thursday, the IRGC said the strategic waterway could not be reopened as long as Washington continued what it described as threats and interference in maritime movements in the region.

“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be reopened as long as the bluster and threats of US officials and their interference in maritime movements in the region continue,” the IRGC said.

It warned that continued US “threats and interference” would make the situation “more difficult and complicated.”

The IRGC also claimed that two oil tankers attempted to transit through what it described as an unsafe route south of the Strait of Hormuz late Wednesday, allegedly at the direction of US aircraft.

According to the statement, both vessels turned back after a major fire broke out aboard one of them. The IRGC did not provide evidence to support the claim.

“The Strait of Hormuz is our territory, and the IRGC Navy firmly controls it,” the statement said, adding that no outside power “coming from thousands of kilometers away” would be allowed to interfere.

The warning came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had carried out a “heavy wave” of strikes against Iran in response to what it described as attempted missile attacks targeting US forces in the Middle East.