In a statement released on Monday, the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters announced that, following the blatant aggression by US terrorist commandos against an Iranian commercial vessel in the waters of the Sea of Oman, Iran’s Armed Forces had been prepared to deliver a decisive response.
However, it said, due to the presence of a number of family members of the ship’s crew on board, Iran’s operational action was delayed in order to protect their lives and security, which were in constant danger.
The statement added that once the safety of the families and crew members is fully ensured, Iran’s Armed Forces will carry out the necessary action against the “terrorist US military.”
The US Navy attacked the Iranian container ship Touska on Sunday night while it was sailing from China to Iran, subsequently taking control of the vessel. The US Central Command claimed the ship was heading toward the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and alleged that it ignored repeated warnings over a six-hour period to vacate its engine room.
The US president also stated that the US forces stopped the vessel by “blowing a hole in its engine room.”
Following the attack, Iranian military forces launched drone strikes toward several US military vessels in the area in response.
The development comes amid a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for the shipment of about a fifth of the world’s oil, amid threats from a US blockade on ships heading to and from Iranian ports.