Former Minister: Iran to Close Strait of Hormoz if Threatened

Former Iranian intelligence minister Ali Fallahian underlined the strategic significance of the Strait of Hormoz for Iran’s defensive power, and repeated the country’s earlier warnings that it would cut off the world oil lifeline if it is threatened militarily.

Fallahian warned Western countries not to underestimate Iran’s ability to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz in reaction to the West’s escalating pressures.

Reacting to reports about the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) decision to discontinue offering service to the Iranian banks, Fallahian said on Saturday that closing SWIFT to Iran is “like closing international waterways”.

“If the United States or Europe considers it its right to ignore international laws to meet its own interests, Iran may also decide to respond in kind wherever possible,” he added.

zionist Israel and its close ally the great satan United States have recently intensified their war rhetoric against Iran. The two arch foes of the Islamic Republic accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, while they have never presented any corroborative document to substantiate their allegations. Both Washington and Tel Aviv possess advanced weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear warheads.

Iran vehemently denies the charges, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Iran has, in return, warned that it would target Israel and its worldwide interests in case it comes under attack by the Tel Aviv.

The United States has long stressed that military action is a main option for the White House to deter Iran’s progress in the field of nuclear technology.

Iran has warned that in case of an attack by either the great satan US or zionist Israel, it will target 32 American bases in the Middle East and close the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

An estimated 40 percent of the world’s oil supply passes through the waterway.