Iran Says it Has Never Tried to Close Strait of Hormuz

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Thursday denied Tehran had ever tried to close the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route at the center of increasing international tension.

"Iran has never in its history tried to prevent, to put any obstacles in the way of this important maritime route," he said in an interview with NTV television during a visit to Turkey.

Iran threatened in December to close the narrow and strategic waterway -- a chokepoint for one fifth of the world's traded oil -- in the event of a military strike or the severe tightening of international sanctions.

That set up a tense standoff with the United States which sent a second aircraft carrier to the region as Tehran announced new naval maneuvers in the Strait within the next few weeks.

"We want peace and stability in the region ... But the Americans ... want to run certain countries from our zone," Salehi added.

"I appeal to all the countries of the region, please don't let yourself be drawn into a dangerous position."

Washington should be willing to hold talks with Tehran with no preconditions, he said.

Iran's military in 1987 and 1988 laid mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf to make the channel hazardous for oil tankers from Iraq, with which it was at war.

In April 1988, a U.S. warship struck one of the mines and nearly sank. The U.S. military subsequently launched Operation Preying Mantis, destroying two Iranian oil platforms and several vessels.

Mines left over from that conflict, and from the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, were being picked up in the coastal waters in the northern Gulf up to a decade later.

Comments 6
Default-user-icon Rami (Guest) 19 January 2012, 13:51

What kind of contradiction is this? Sudden change of tactics, scared from the 6th fleet?

Default-user-icon hanna (Guest) 19 January 2012, 14:45

seems the american letter made them shit in their pants...
lol

Default-user-icon Sam (Guest) 19 January 2012, 16:21

lol @ scared, you guys are real clowns on here. Iran has been standing up to America for 3 decades.. wisen up, it's not going anywhere.

Default-user-icon Brunos (Guest) 19 January 2012, 16:55

The 6 fllet should be very scared

Default-user-icon Skyfall (Guest) 19 January 2012, 18:05

@ rami , the situation is getting hotter , at first Iran and the US werent so serious about war. Thus the US was able to keep up the comedy to sell weapons to the Arabs. But now i guess with their " new middle east " view, and the fall of Egypt, and Tunis. their strategy to put up extremists all around Iran seem to work to create a Sunni-Chiite war. Iran has seen Syria's situation is very bad and its only a matter of time. It would have close the straight if Syria was still strong because that would mean a war , a war with what they could damage a lot Israel, via weapons from Iran to Syria to the Hezb. Now they will be left alone.

Default-user-icon Skyfall (Guest) 19 January 2012, 18:12

The only question remains, will the US enter the war? or support Israel with their F-22 Raptors, solely capable of entering the Iranian defense system? all i am curious to know is what is the US 6th fleet is carrying of war planes? if its those warplanes, Iran is not really ready for it. But i guess if there is a war , it must be very soon, before Iran can convince Russia of sending their new missile defense system ( S-400 ) capable of hunting down those F-22's. A lot is going to happen soon thats for sure.