IRG Navy Challenges US Claims Over Hormuz, Urges American Forces to Test Iran’s Control

By Staff, Agencies

The Navy chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards [IRG] has rejected US claims that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and under Washington’s control, challenging American forces to approach the strategic waterway and witness the situation firsthand.

In his first televised interview, broadcast on Tuesday, Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei said Iran maintains “smart control” over the Strait of Hormuz, requiring vessels seeking to transit the strategic passage to obtain authorization from Iranian forces.

“The Americans claim that the Strait of Hormuz is open and they control it, but this claim is far away from the realities on the ground,” he said.

“If they want to know whether the Strait of Hormuz is open or closed, they should step into the field and see who is in control of it.”

Ozmaei also criticized the US military presence in the region, saying American forces and their seven fleets had effectively turned into what he described as “fuel smugglers.”

He further said that the United States’ $13 billion aircraft carrier had lost its operational effectiveness and was functioning like a runway stationed 700 to 800 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz.

“The carrier is vulnerable and does not dare approach the strait and come within range of our fighters,” he said.

The IRG Navy commander stated that his force oversees the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, while the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Navy is responsible for the Sea of Oman.

He added that a blockade was continuing beyond the Sea of Oman into the Arabian Sea, where the Army Navy was also monitoring developments.

Outlining Iran’s maritime restrictions, Ozmaei said vessels seeking to cross the Strait of Hormuz must first secure permission from Iranian forces. Ships traveling to or from Iran, he added, receive authorization to use the Iranian waterway according to prevailing conditions.

He said Iranian forces had taken decisive action against vessels that violated the restrictions, accusing the United States and its partners of maintaining a media blackout to prevent the international public from learning about the measures imposed on those ships.

“We had to release footage of one or two of these vessels in recent days to show the extent of the humiliation the United States has suffered,” Ozmaei said, stressing that Iran would continue responding firmly to violations.

The commander also argued that regional security could be maintained without an American military presence, emphasizing cooperation among neighboring countries as the means to safeguard economic, political and military stability.

“We can establish security in the region in cooperation with our neighbors, and we do not need the Americans,” he said.

“If we work together, security can be ensured in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.”

Ozmaei said IRG Navy personnel and members of the Iranian Army’s Navy remained firmly positioned across the strategically significant waters and were prepared to respond decisively to any adversary seeking to impose its will through force.

He also challenged Washington to send a warship into the Gulf, rather than keeping its naval forces near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz or at a distance from the waterway.

“We are waiting for one of the American warships to come into the Persian Gulf, not merely remain at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz or outside it,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Ozmaei said Iran had modernized its defense capabilities, revised its military tactics and identified previous weaknesses, asserting that Iranian fighters were now better prepared than they had been in the past.