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A senior Iranian commander has underscored the Islamic Republic's military might, saying that the US lacks the  capability to hinder Iran's efforts to shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz if Tehran deems it necessary to take the measure.“Regardless of their publicity campaigns and propaganda efforts, the Americans are incapable of confronting Iranian actions in a number of spheres, including the potential plan [by Iran] to shut down the Strait of Hormuz,” Deputy Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Monday. The principal objective of Iran in the region is to defuse tensions, Jazayeri noted, adding that protecting and guaranteeing security in the Gulf are among the major defensive policies of the country. However, should the country's national interests come under threat, Iran's armed forces will utilize their defensive capabilities to defend the country's sovereignty, he said. In a Sunday address in Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast also described the strategic Strait of Hormuz, linking the Sea of Oman to the Gulf, as a crucial waterway for the global economy. Mehmanparast emphasized that the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil supply flows out, clearly explains why its security is of high priority for Iran. The senior diplomat insisted, however, that no foreign power should imagine that they can determine, for political ends, which states can and which ones can't benefit from Gulf resources. He added that Tehran spares no effort to maintain security in the Gulf. |
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 Iran announced Sunday it received a letter regarding its threatening to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz from the US, but stopped short on the content of the letter.“The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, sent a letter to Mohammad Khazaie, Iran's UN representative, which was conveyed by the Swiss ambassador, and finally Iraqi President Jalal Talabani delivered its contents to Iranian officials,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said, according to IRNA. “We are in the process of studying the letter and if necessary we will respond.” On Friday, the New York Times, citing unnamed US officials, reported that Washington had used a secret channel to warn Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei that closing the narrow strategic waterway would cross a "red line" and provoke a response. The Strait of Hormuz became the focal point of the recent escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran with Iran warning that imposing sanctions against the energy sector will prompt it to prevent oil cargoes from passing through the strategic Strait. |
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 Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani vowed Monday that the Islamic Republic will avenge the assassination of its nuclear scientist Mustapha Ahmadi Roshan, and stated that several arrests were made over the crime.In an interview with the Iranian Arabic speaking news channel Al-Alam, Larijani said that “we have discovered some clues and some arrests have been made. Investigations are ongoing." "We will not hesitate in punishing the Zionist regime so that it realizes such actions have clear responses. There will definitely be a response,” he added, pointing out that the response would not be of a terrorist nature like this entity’s crimes. |
River to Sea
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