Iran Confirms Receiving Letter from U.S. on Strait of Hormuz
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The United States has sent a letter to Iran regarding its threatened closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday, without revealing the letter's contents.
"The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, sent a letter to Mohammad Khazaie, Iran's U.N. representative, which was conveyed by the Swiss ambassador, and finally Iraqi President Jalal Talabani delivered its contents to officials" in Iran, the official IRNA news agency quoted Ramin Mehmanparast as saying.
"We are in the process of studying the letter and if necessary we will respond."
The United States has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution, and Swiss diplomats handle U.S. interests there.
On Friday, the New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that Washington had used a secret channel to warn Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that closing the narrow strategic waterway would cross a "red line" and provoke a response.
Tehran threatened to close the strait -- a chokepoint for one fifth of the world's traded oil -- late last month, in the event of a military strike or severe tightening of international sanctions over its controversial nuclear program.
Washington is beefing up its naval presence in waters just outside the Gulf in response to the threats.
The U.S. officials did not provide details about the covert communication channel, except to say that it was separate from the Swiss government.
Washington and its allies have stepped up increasingly harsh sanctions on Iran over its nuclear enrichment program, which they charge is part of a secret drive to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran insists its atomic ambitions are entirely peaceful and has vowed to retaliate against any strike on its facilities.
Tensions again flared following Wednesday's killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist in a bombing Tehran blamed on U.S. and Israeli intelligence services. U.S. officials have denied any involvement.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have announced new naval maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz within the next few weeks, underlining Tehran's threat to close the channel linking the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
15 January 2012, 17:54
27
hopefully they can understand english and pass it on to hassouni to read
15 January 2012, 20:40
25
Obvious letter content which the Swiss were afraid to deliver, mess with the strait of hormez and become a rubble since you won't know where the bombs will come from and that would be the end of your hostile terrorist mind.
15 January 2012, 20:44
33
@ maakroot I agree with you however they need to translate to Farsi first then Artabic before passing to Hassouni :)
15 January 2012, 21:05
41
sounds good that they need translater from english, but ur leaders need a translater from arabic, shame on both of u!
16 January 2012, 04:30
61
i would not mind seeing iran close it, id love to see if the USA is full of bullshit or not, and id love to see what irans response is if USA reopens the strait after Iran closes it. (Hopefully they will keep Lebanon out of it - aka Hezbollah)
16 January 2012, 07:41
26
The Iranian regime has been using, in a periodic manner, incendiary posturing in order to create uncertainties that could drive up oil prices.
The Iranian leaders know that they could disrupt momentarily shipping through the straits but the cost to their military will be catastrophic. This is why they talk a big game but they never mean to play it.
16 January 2012, 17:09
01
Mowaten: Lets cut all the trash talking. How much are you willing to bet on how strong Iran is compared to the US? It's pretty obvious that Iran is well aware of how weak they are or they will close the straight of Hormez. Everyone knows they will not. All I am saying is shut the straight or shut your mouth!
16 January 2012, 17:53
01
As hard as this is for you to beleive my dear Mowaten. The reason the US has not attacked Iran is because the US values life (unlike any country in the middle east who send their lambs out to the slaughter house while they hide) and they use war as a last resort. Unfortunately trigger happy Geroge W. Bush did a lot of damage to the US's image with his cowboy shoot first ask questions later attitude. The current administration is not the same. This will never turn into any kind of conflict other than Iran doing what it can to drive oil prices up. This is their way of countering the sanctions the US is driving against them.
16 January 2012, 19:12
11
Really mowaten? they killed each other more than any number of them killed by the US and that goes to every country in the middle east. It's pretty abvious what you are doing on this website. you are here to try and pretty up your Iranian/Syrian/Hizb actions(damage control) and to smear the image of everyone against them. I am willing to bet that you yourself don't beleive half the words you are typing. I am done wasting my time with you. I will no longer be reading anything you write. Respond as you wish!
17 January 2012, 09:19
01
@ Lebanon first and Mowaten, USA doesnt value life and Iran as well, they are both playing tricks a usual making KSA and arab countries think they will eventually go to war, but they never will. All this for the sole purpose of the US selling more weapons to Arab countries, just look at the multiple transactions KSA and other arab countries did during those last 6 years to arm themselves. Iran in return knows the US will not give Israel those F22 raptors they need to enter Iran and bomb the nuclear sites because with their F16s right now they are like birds waiting to be shot at by S-300 russian missiles Iran is equipped with.
So lets cut the bullshit , only one country desires to annhiliate Iran and vice versa it is Israel and it cannot do anything right now.
17 January 2012, 22:54
00
@ Mowaten, thanks for the comment on my post, well you are right they might be able to push the US to do that war for them, but i think they wont be able right now the US is in so much economic trouble, it cannot afford going to war at the moment, maybe after elections,because nobody would like to explain before that to the american people that maybe they should send once more after Iraq, US soldiers to Iran... One thing ive heard though, is that the F-22 raptor that is capable of entering Iran's defense system ( S-300 ) , has been copied into another model which is the F-35 , cheaper, and effective as well. THOSE F-35 might be sold to Israel and Brasil, but by that time, Russia would have delivered to Iran the S-400, which are capable at 70% of hunting down the F-22 and F-35. So you see my friend , its all a game, and Russia and the US are still the key to both Iran or Israel's victory. lets wait and see.
