Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri stated on Monday that if Iran is not allowed to export oil through the Hormuz Strait, it would react immediately.
"The Hormuz Strait, based on law is an international shipping route and if we are banned from using it, we will close it", he told TV channel Al-Alam.
READ MORE: Strait of Hormuz May Close if Iranian Oil Exports Stopped, IRGC Navy Chief Warns
The statement comes amid growing tensions between Tehran and Washington, as earlier in April, the US blacklisted Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, while the Islamic Republic retaliated by officially designating the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as terrorists.
Iranian media later reported that despite the US sanctions, the country's oil revenues jumped by nearly 50 percent in 2018.
