Senior Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei said no country, including European states, accepts what he described as US interference in the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the strategic waterway is a matter for the countries of the region. Speaking on Saturday, the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz "has nothing to do with the US government.”
Rezaei said the Strait of Hormuz is used by countries around the world but questioned the legal basis for US involvement in the waterway. He asserted that even European countries do not support what he characterized as arbitrary US interference and argued that the strait differs from other strategic waterways because it serves as the entrance to the Persian Gulf rather than linking two oceans or seas.
Questioning Washington’s military presence in the Persian Gulf, Rezaei asked why the United States should operate in the Strait of Hormuz or enter the Gulf. He added that Iran now views any US presence in the Strait of Hormuz with suspicion, saying that although active hostilities have subsided, Iran still considers itself to be in a state of conflict.
