Maj. General Rezaei: Iran responsible for managing Hormuz Strait; If war continues, it will be very bad for U.S.

Pars Today – The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the eight-year Sacred Defense war, in an interview with the U.S. network CNN, emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and Oman, and that its management is the responsibility of Tehran.

According to Pars Today, citing IRNA, Mohsen Rezaei responded to CNN’s question regarding U.S. opposition to any fees being collected in the Strait of Hormuz, stating: “The Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and Oman, and its management is our responsibility. Therefore, environmental costs and transit service fees must be collected. Do Americans expect that Iran’s taxpayers should pay the costs of ships’ passage?”

In response to a question about how dangerous the current situation in the Persian Gulf, he said: “The Strait of Hormuz is not dangerous for trade, but it is dangerous for insecurity and military deployment. It is the United States that has made this region unsafe, and if the U.S. continues this approach, it will suffer a severe defeat. Therefore, it is the U.S. that is engaging in adventurism and creating war and clashes.”

He added, in response to a question about Iran’s enrichment program: “We have fully acted within the framework of international regulations and the NPT. In the JCPOA, we reached an agreement with the P5+1, which was torn up by U.S. President Donald Trump. Therefore, we do not trust any nuclear agreement with Trump, and at present we will not engage in any negotiations on the nuclear issue.”

In response to CNN’s claim that “Trump says he is waiting for Iran’s response,” he said: “Iran has clearly stated that frozen assets must be released, but the Americans give vague responses. They are the ones who must clarify the situation.”

Rezaei also responded to CNN’s remark that “given Trump’s threats against Iran’s infrastructure, this war would be very costly for Iran,” warning: “If the war continues and the blockade continues, the conflict will expand beyond the region—from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Mediterranean Sea—and this will be very bad for the United States.”