IRGC says strait is ‘a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway’
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp said they will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States meets Tehran’s conditions, including compensation for war damages.
The IRGC said their strategy was to maintain the closure “until the enemy accepts all our conditions … the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway”.
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has said he believes now is the best time for an agreement with the US. “There is cohesion, strength, and unity in the country, and as far as I know, Iran is considered victorious and powerful in this war,” Iranian news agencies quoted him as saying.
Oman condemned what it described as repeated attacks on vessels while transiting the strait, without assigning blame, and said that negotiations with Iran on arrangements for shipping through Hormuz were “positive and constructive”.
The UAE said on Saturday that Iran had attacked a carrier affiliated with the UAE’s state oil company with a missile as it transited the strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported. The UK maritime trade monitor UKMTO said a vessel had caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile but the fire was put out and there was no reported environmental impact. There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.
US Central Command said on Saturday it had allowed more than ۳۰ ships through for humanitarian aid since the current blockade started. US forces have turned away ۵۳ ships, disabled two vessels and boarded two others, Central Command said in a statement on social media.
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