The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces has said that the country will make a wise decision as to whether to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Major General Hassan Firouzabadi made the remarks in an interview with the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency in Tehran on Friday in reply to a question about the proposal that the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee put forward on July 1, which calls for the Strait of Hormuz to be blocked to prevent the passage of tankers that carry oil for the countries that have imposed sanctions on Iran.
The proposal, which has not yet been submitted to the Majlis Presiding Board, was prepared in response to the European Union's oil embargo on Iran that took effect on July 1 and a new U.S. law that penalizes countries that do business with the Central Bank of Iran by denying their banks access to the U.S. market. The law came into force on June 28.
Firouzabadi said, "I, as a senior military commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran, say that we have a (contingency) plan to block the Strait of Hormuz because military men should have plans in regard to all issues, and the Strait of Hormuz is the world's fourth or fifth (most) strategic strait, which affects everything in the world."
"(But) the (Iranian) Shia nation acts wisely and will not be pleased with the disruption of a waterway which accounts for 40 percent of the world's (oil) shipments unless our interests are seriously threatened," he added.
He also stated, "We are exercising wise control over the Strait of Hormuz."
Elsewhere in his remarks, Firouzabadi said, "MPs are representatives of the Iranian nation. MPs' statements or letters or their vote illustrate the message and the vote of the Iranian nation."
MPs have right to propose plan on Strait of Hormuz
In addition, Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani told reporters in Tehran on Saturday that preparing a proposal on the Strait of Hormuz falls within the ambit of MPs.
Commenting on the proposal to block the Strait of Hormuz, Larijani said, "A number of MPs have prepared a proposal, but it has not been reviewed yet."
MPs have the right to make such a proposal and can express their views about all national and international issues, he added.