Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until US accepts its terms: Iran

TEHRAN- Iran’s Armed Forces have control over the Strait of Hormuz, which will remain closed until the United States accepts Tehran’s conditions, Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia has said. Speaking Friday evening at a ceremony in Pishva County, Tehran Province, he said Iran’s Army, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Law Enforcement Command were better prepared after confrontation with the United States and the Israeli regime.

He said public support had boosted military morale. Before the war, about 130 ships crossed the strait daily, carrying 20 percent of global oil, plus jet fuel and chemical fertilizers. Akraminia warned that renewed US aggression would prompt an immediate response. American bases and interests in the Persian Gulf and beyond West Asia, he said, were within range of Iranian drones and missiles. Forces would follow the order of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, to respond swiftly, effectively and without geographic limits.

Citing US officials, Akraminia put Washington’s direct war costs at more than $48 billion, with indirect losses potentially lasting years. The military official cited Republican election setbacks and protests in European countries.