'U.S. message on Strait of Hormuz conveyed through 3 officials'

TEHRAN, Jan. 15 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast dismissed news reports claiming that Washington has sent a message to Tehran on the Strait of Hormuz through Turkish officials. “The media reported that the Americans had delivered notes to the Islamic Republic of Iran through the Turkish foreign minister during their (Turkish officials’) visit to Tehran, but that was not the case,” he told reporters on Sunday. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Tehran on January 4 and 5. U.S. officials have sent a message on the Strait of Hormuz to the Islamic Republic through three officials, Mehmanparast said, noting, “Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations delivered a letter to Mohammad Khazaii, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador (to the UN). The Swiss ambassador to Tehran (Livia Leu Agosti) also conveyed the message, and Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, conveyed the message to the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran as well.” Asked if Iran has sent a reply to the message, he stated, “The letter is being studied, and it will be replied to if deemed necessary,” he added. Iran has recently threatened that it will block the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important chokepoints which represents about 30% of the world’s seaborne oil shipments, if sanctions are imposed on its oil industry.