Saturday, July 5, 2008

Iran threatens to close Hormuz Strait


Press TV

"Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces says Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz if the country's interests are jeopardized.

"The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway and it is very important for us to keep it open," Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Sunday.

"All other countries must be aware that we will not allow anyone to pass through the waterway, if Iran's regional interests are undermined," he added.

Firouzabadi's remarks come amid growing speculation about a possible Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

These speculations stem from a military maneuver Israel conducted in the Mediterranean last month, which was an apparent rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear sites.

The General was speaking a day after the 20th anniversary of the downing of an Iranian passenger plane by the US Navy in the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday July 3, 1988, the US Navy's guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all the 290 passengers onboard, including 66 children.

The commander of USS Vincennes, Captain William C. Rogers III, with this action registered his name on 'humanity's list of war criminals', said Firouzabadi, urging all US troops stationed in the region not to do the same by risking their lives for US President George Bush and his lies.

He also said that the US government was 'trapped in the jaws of global Zionism', adding that the American people and their military do not deserve to be 'sacrificed for undeserving rulers who serve Zionists'. "

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