IRGC Navy Commander Threatens to Close Strait of Hormuz

The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy threatened that if Iran's oil exports reach zero, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed. Alireza Tangsiri, in an interview with Al-Alam network, responded to a question about the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz if Iran's oil exports cease, stating: "As long as our oil is exiting through the Strait of Hormuz and there is no restriction on the entry and exit of our ships, this will not happen." He added, "But if one day our oil does not exit... then no sane mind would allow us to be unable to export our oil while a foreign outsider comes and takes the oil from here and exports it." Tangsiri emphasized: "When they want to stop our oil and our ships, this is logical, and every logic says this, and they will see whether this will happen or not." U.S. officials have stated that the goal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic is to bring Iran's oil exports to zero, and the United States exempted eight countries from these sanctions until May 2019. Meanwhile, Brian Hook, head of the U.S. State Department's Iran Action Group, stated that the U.S. has no plans to extend exemptions from Iranian oil sanctions. Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened that if Iran cannot export its oil, other countries will also not be able to export theirs, a threat interpreted as Iran's potential intention to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil transit routes. Following these threats, Admiral John Richardson, the U.S. Navy's operational commander, warned Iran that the United States would maintain the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by force if necessary. However, two days ago, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, stated: "Cutting oil exports does not necessarily equal closing the Strait of Hormuz, and there are various methods to achieve that, which we hope we do not have to resort to." He did not provide details about these methods. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, also made similar remarks without mentioning details, stating that if all of Iran's customers stop buying oil from the country, "we will use other tools." Since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, the IRGC and the army have conducted several military exercises, especially in the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, the IRGC Navy commander stated that the Islamic Republic feels "threatened" by the presence of foreign naval forces in the region. He said that these exercises are a small part of the Islamic Republic's "main capability," and "they will see the main capability when they feel a strong blow." On Friday, December 21, coinciding with the arrival of the American aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in the Persian Gulf, the "Prophet Muhammad 12" exercise was held, and IRGC forces "launched a drone" and fired several rockets in the area. However, Amir Rastgari, head of the Marine Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense, announced that the drone flight and rocket firing coinciding with the arrival of the American ship in the Persian Gulf "had no connection to this ship" but was related to the IRGC's exercise. Despite the escalation of verbal warfare between Iranian and American officials, some Iranian officials have ruled out the possibility of military conflict.