Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iran’s control, warning that continued U.S. blockade measures could lead to restrictions on maritime traffic through the strategic waterway.
Tehran – IranView24
Speaking in a televised interview on Saturday night, Ghalibaf stressed that “the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” adding, “If the US does not abandon the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will certainly be restricted.”
He described a recent confrontation involving a US mine-clearing vessel during negotiations in Islamabad, saying Iran responded decisively to the ceasefire violation.
“We confronted the US attempt at mine-clearing decisively and consider it a violation of the ceasefire, and we went as far as the stage of confrontation, but the enemy retreated,” he said.
Ghalibaf added that he had issued a direct warning to the US delegation in Islamabad. “I told the US delegation that if their minesweeper moved even slightly forward from its position, we would definitely fire at it. They asked for 15 minutes to issue the order to return, and they did.”
He reiterated that any current maritime movement in the strait takes place under Iran’s military oversight.
Ghalibaf also criticized Washington’s recent actions, stating that “the Americans have announced a blockade in recent days; this is a naive decision made out of ignorance.”
He added, “It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot.”
He emphasized that negotiations remain part of Iran’s broader strategy to restore the Iranian nation’s rights, reassuring that “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy.”
Top officials of Iran and the United States discussed a permanent end to the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran on April 11, days after Tehran and Washington reached a two-week ceasefire. The talks ended without a deal after 21 hours of discussions.
