Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Esmaeil Baqaei said the Iranian officials responsible for responding to American measures in the Strait of Hormuz are fully prepared and know well how to defend Iran’s national interests.
Referring to a statement issued earlier by the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, he said the world neither accepts Washington’s humanitarian claims nor believes the US can escape the “self-created quagmire” by repeating past mistakes.
The spokesman said the US should have learned that it cannot speak to Iran through threats and coercion, adding that Iran has shown that it considers itself the guardian of the security of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz had been a safe passageway for maritime traffic before February 28, he added, noting that the international community should hold the US accountable for making the strategic waterway unsafe.
Baqaei added that shipping companies and vessels are certainly aware that ensuring security requires coordination with the relevant Iranian authorities.
Commenting on remarks by France about a plan concerning the safety of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian spokesman advised other countries not to further complicate the current situation.
He said the measures adopted by Iran are in line with international law and aimed at ensuring that Iran’s interests are not subjected to aggression, describing the principle as internationally recognized.
If countries truly want to help, they should prevent the escalation of US actions in the region and beyond, Baqaei added, saying Washington has rendered international waters unsafe through piracy.
Asked about the objectives of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s recent visits to Pakistan, Russia, and Oman, the spokesman said Iran and Oman are both littoral states and must establish a mechanism for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the goal is to ensure maritime security in the waterway, which he said has been disrupted by the US.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said the US will “help free up” ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz from Monday, suggesting that his administration will break Iran’s blockade of the strategic waterway.
Trump claimed that he was launching the campaign – dubbed Project Freedom – at the request of countries whose vessels are stranded in the strait, whom he referred to as “neutral and innocent bystanders”.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that it would begin supporting merchant vessels “seeking to freely transit” the strait from Monday.
On February 28, the United States and the Israeli regime launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran, during which then Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials were martyred.
Iranian Armed Forces responded with weeks of missile and drone strikes targeting American and Israeli military positions in the occupied territories and the Persian Gulf region, inflicting heavy damages in 100 waves of counterattacks over a period of 40 days.
Iran’s retaliation also featured the country’s closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz to vessels belonging to enemies and their allies.
The Islamic Republic then subjected the waterway to further restrictions, conditioning passage of vessels to their securing permission from relevant Iranian authorities. The latter move came after the US announced continuation of an illegal blockade it has been trying to impose on Iranian vessels and ports.