Colonel Ali Mohammadi, deputy commander for political affairs of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, rejected US President Donald Trump’s remarks that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz. Mohammadi said Iranian forces would respond if US ships approached the strategic waterway.
Referring to Trump’s remarks, Mohammadi said, “Then bring one of your warships within 100 kilometers.” Mohammadi claimed that US forces would face a response if they moved their ships closer to the strait, and alleged that a similar incident had occurred in recent days.
Iranian forces’ surveillance claim
Mohammadi alleged that major foreign militaries had been stationed beyond the Gulf of Oman for months. He claimed that no US military personnel or equipment were present in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman.
Mohammadi said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy was conducting “full” surveillance in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and stated that ships departing from Kuwait and Bahrain were being tracked. He said the ships could face intervention if they violated rules imposed by Tehran.
Statement on US bases
Mohammadi also claimed that US military bases in the Gulf states had been rendered “inoperable.” He said Iranian forces had conducted preventive operations against US bases, warships and other naval vessels deemed to have violated Tehran’s rules.
Trump’s remarks on the Strait of Hormuz
Trump has repeatedly said that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing clashes with Iran. Earlier this month, the US president said that US forces had struck 28 Iranian boats and ships, declaring, “We now control the Strait of Hormuz.”
On Wednesday, Trump also said that the United States was “winning” the war with Iran and repeated his claim of control over the Strait of Hormuz. He also proposed renaming the strategic waterway the “Trump Strait.”
