NEW YORK (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps warned that Tehran may close the Strait of Hormuz if the United States continues "threatening" passages through the strategic waterway.
"We will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and any effort to cut down, to somehow shut down a waterway of critical importance to the global economy is something that we would treat with a great degree of concern," Cook stated.
The spokesperson noted that the United States has its forces present there to ensure "the free flow of commerce" as well as that "American interests are maintained."
The Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the exercise on Monday, demanding an explanation from the United States as to its decision to choose the region for the drills.
The Strait of Hormuz accounts for almost one-third of the world's oil trade sea passages.