TEHRAN: Iran’s military chiefs warned yesterday that the country would shut down the Strait of Hormuz vital for oil exports and use “blitzkrieg tactics” in the Gulf if it came under attack. At the same time the government said it had no intention of discussing its right to enriching uranium.
“All the countries should know that if Iran’s interests in the region are ignored, it is natural that we will not allow others to use it (the strait),” said army chief Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, quoted by the Fars news agency. However, Iran’s armed forces joint chief of staff stressed his country’s priority was that the Strait of Hormuz remain open.
Speculation has been rife that Israel could be planning a military strike against Iranian nuclear sites, using force to halt Tehran’s atomic activities.
The chief of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards militia, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, meanwhile, warned that his forces would use “blitzkrieg tactics” in the Gulf if his country came under attack.
“The Guards are equipped with the most advanced missiles that can strike the enemies’ vessels and naval equipment with fatal blows,” Fars quoted the Guards chief as saying. In case of attack, “blitzkrieg tactics and operations of the Guards’ boats will not leave a chance for the enemies to run away,” he said.
The new commander of the US Fifth Fleet, Vice Adm. William Gortney, said yesterday that the American naval presence in the region was “a very clear message that we are here to maintain security and to provide stability.”
In its first public statement after giving Iran’s formal response to an incentives package by world powers, government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said: “Iran’s stance has not changed (on uranium enrichment) and we are ready to hold talks in the framework of preserving Iran’s nuclear rights.”
Iran says its nuclear activities are only aimed at generating power so that it can export more oil but the United States and its European allies suspect Tehran is pursuing an atomic weapons project.
