Iran army says states siding with US to ‘face difficulties’

TEHRAN: Iran’s army warned on Sunday that countries complying with US sanctions against the Islamic republic would face difficulties crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

Early this month the US government imposed new sanctions on Iranian interests and warned ships against paying authorities in Tehran to pass through the strait. The United States and Bahrain have drafted a UN resolution, seen by AFP, calling on Iran to halt restrictions on shipping through the waterway, which has become a major flashpoint since the outbreak of war on February 28.

“Countries that comply with the United States by imposing sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly face difficulties crossing the strait,” army official Mohammad Akraminia told Iran’s official IRNA news agency on Sunday.

“We have established a new legal and security system in the Strait of Hormuz. From now on, any vessel wishing to pass through it must coordinate with us,” he added.

He said the system was “now in force” and would bring “economic, security and political gains”.

On Saturday, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, issued a similar warning in a post on X.

“We warn governments, including microstates like Bahrain, that siding with the US-backed resolution will bring severe consequences. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital lifeline; do not risk closing it on yourselves forever,” he wrote.

Iran has allowed only a trickle of ships to pass through the waterway, a route that in peacetime accounts for a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows, along with other vital commodities.

Last month, Iranian deputy speaker of parliament Hamidreza Hajibabaei said Tehran had received its first revenue from the tolls it imposed on the strait.

Veto-wielding Russia has warned it is prepared to block the UN Security Council resolution proposed by the United States and Bahrain, according to diplomatic sources.