“This strategic passage is more important than dozens of atomic bombs, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will protect it,” Rezaee was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency. The sharp rhetoric coincides with a severe military flare-up in the region, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Tehran recently declared that it had closed the critical maritime corridor following direct exchanges of fire with U.S. forces, prompting immediate pushback from U.S. Central Command, which stated its forces are prepared to guarantee open navigation.
***
Rezaee’s comments also touch upon a long-standing international flashpoint regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions. While Western nations, led by the United States, have repeatedly accused Iran of covertly trying to engineer a nuclear weapon, Tehran has maintained for decades that its nuclear facilities are designated strictly for civilian, peaceful purposes. Iranian officials frequently point back to a binding religious edict (fatwa) issued by the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the early 2000s, which strictly prohibited the development and stockpiling of nuclear weapons.
