Supreme Leader has final word on closure of Hormuz Strait: Iranian general

TEHRAN,July 16(MNA) – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces said that the implementation of the plan devised for the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz requires an order by the Supreme Leader. “We have a (contingency) plan for the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, but its implementation requires the decision and order of the commander in chief (the Leader),” Major General Hassan Firouzabadi told reporters on Sunday. “They say that Iran is bluffing to console themselves. Of course, we do not intend to block the Strait of Hormuz, but we have a (contingency) plan for its blockade, which is a clever and viable plan,” he said. On the increased presence of U.S. military forces in the Persian Gulf region, Firouzabadi said that they want to assure the Arabs of the region that shipping routes will not be blocked, but every day the U.S. employs a new method to “blackmail the oil-rich Arab countries.” The Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee put forward a proposal on July 1 calling 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 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. Iranian MP Javad Karimi-Qoddousi said that 150 MPs have signed the proposal so far. He added that the proposal will be submitted to the Majlis Presiding Board after being signed by 250 MPs. Located between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz is a strategic 20-mile-wide link for oil-exporting nations and the shipping lanes to oil-importing nations.