A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has declared that no country can take control of the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, as fighting between Tehran and Washington continues to centre on the strategically vital waterway.
Ali Akbar Velayati, a former Iranian foreign minister and adviser to the supreme leader, said the strait belongs to Iran and dismissed any suggestion that the United States could undermine Tehran’s authority there.
“No power in the world can take the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s ownership,” Velayati said in remarks carried by Iranian state television.
He added that the waterway had been brought under Iranian sovereignty through “the courageous and wise command of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei,” describing it as “a valuable achievement of the 40-day war.”
Velayati’s remarks come as the United States continues a new wave of military strikes against Iran, saying the operations are intended to reduce Tehran’s ability to threaten international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest US attacks follow recent Iranian strikes on tankers using an alternative shipping route through the strategic waterway. Iran has also stepped up retaliatory attacks on what it says are US military targets across the Gulf, including bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, as the conflict continues to intensify.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, with a significant share of global oil and gas exports passing through the narrow waterway each day. The escalating military confrontation has heightened international concerns over the security of shipping and the potential economic consequences of a prolonged conflict.
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See: The Situation in the Strait, Iran and its neighbors here.
