Tehran, July 29: Iran has warned that countries and international companies accepting compensation from its frozen overseas assets could lose access to one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, the Strait of Hormuz, in a move that could further raise tensions in the Gulf.
The warning came on Tuesday from Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the military command responsible for coordinating the country’s armed forces during times of war and national emergencies.
The statement followed remarks by US President Donald Trump proposing that countries and companies whose vessels were damaged in the Persian Gulf should be compensated using Iranian assets frozen abroad. Iran strongly rejected the proposal, describing it as illegal and an unlawful seizure of its national wealth.
Iranian military officials said any company or country that accepts such compensation would no longer be allowed to move its ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that carries a significant share of the world’s oil and natural gas exports.
“From now on, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not allow any of their vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz,” the military command said, referring to those who benefit from Iran’s blocked assets.
The statement also blamed the United States for increasing insecurity in the Persian Gulf, arguing that the recent damage to cargo ships and oil tankers resulted from the expanded US military presence in the region. Iranian authorities further claimed that several vessels ignored navigation protocols issued by Tehran for safe passage and instead chose what they described as an “illegal and unsafe” route south of the Strait.
Iran tightened control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of conflict with the United States and Israel earlier this year. Although restrictions were later eased under a memorandum of understanding signed with Washington, Iranian officials say inspections and tighter controls resumed after the US allegedly failed to fulfill key commitments under the agreement, including recognizing Iran’s authority over the management of navigation through the strategic waterway.
The latest warning underscores the continuing dispute between Tehran and Washington and raises fresh concerns over the security of global energy supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz.__Photo courtesy presstv.ir
