A senior military spokesperson said Iran will firmly enforce control over the Strait of Hormuz and could jeopardize regional port security if its own maritime interests are threatened, while accusing the United States of illegal interference in international waters.
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command Headquarters Spokesman Brigadier General Ebrahim Zolfighari declared that Iran’s armed forces will continue to assert full sovereignty over the country’s territorial waters, stressing that the maritime control is a “natural and legal duty tied to national rights.”
Brig. Gen. Zolfighari stressed that Iranian forces will “resolutely” safeguard the security of territorial waters, warning that vessels deemed hostile will be barred from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Other ships, the spokesperson said, would be permitted passage only if they comply with regulations set by Iran’s armed forces.
🚨🇮🇷🇺🇸 Khatam al-Anbiya Issues Strong Warning on Gulf Security
— Conflictory X (@Conflictory_X) April 13, 2026
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters says security in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman must apply to all countries or none.
It warns that enemy vessels will not be allowed to pass through the Strait of… pic.twitter.com/X5n59gfMHT
Citing the ongoing threats against Iran’s national security after the pause on active hostilities and a round of talks in Islamabad, the spokesperson announced plans to establish a “permanent mechanism” to monitor and control movement through the strategic waterway, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes.
The statement also sharply criticized the United States, accusing it of imposing unlawful restrictions on maritime navigation and labeling such actions as “maritime piracy.”
In a broader warning, Brig. Gen. Zolfighari framed security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman as indivisible, asserting that any threat to Iranian ports would have regional consequences.
“If the security of Iran’s ports is undermined, no port in these waters will remain safe. Security of ports in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for no one” he stated.
Source: Iranian media (translated and edited by Al-Manar)