Iran says armed forces exercising management over Hormuz Strait with full authority

TEHRAN, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Saturday the Iranian armed forces are exercising management over the Strait of Hormuz with full authority, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Making the remarks in a statement, the headquarters stressed that for passage through the waterway, all vessels, including commercial ships and oil tankers, are required to solely travel through the routes designated by Iran and obtain permission from the Navy of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

The headquarters warned that Iran's armed forces will respond to any action by military vessels to interfere in the strait's management or disrupt traffic through it.

Meanwhile, the IRGC's Navy said Saturday that 20 vessels crossed the strait within the past 24 hours in coordination with its forces and Iran's maritime authorities, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Fars quoted officials of the IRGC's Navy as saying that the vessels were granted permission to pass through the strait owing to their countries' needs for commodities such as chemical fertilizers.

Iran tightened its grip on the strait beginning Feb. 28, when it barred safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following joint strikes on Iranian territory.

The United States has also imposed a naval blockade on the strait, preventing ships traveling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway. Enditem