The Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) Tuesday quoted Deputy Javad Karimi-Qoddusi, a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, as saying, “If the Strait of Hormuz is closed some day, the aircraft carriers belonging to America and the European countries that support oil sanctions against Iran will be considered spoils of war, and the Iranian people will not permit these carriers to return to their countries through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The deputy went on to say that the USA “did not have enough courage” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz alone and therefore, asked for assistance from the UK and France, a reference to the fact that a British and a French warship accompanied the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln through the strait Sunday.
Karimi-Qoddusi added that the three aircraft carriers passed through the strait after submitting the required information to the Pasdar maritime force and receiving an entry permit. The US Navy never seeks permits to move through waters where navigation is permitted by international law.
Karimi-Qoddusi did not understand that there was only one aircraft carrier entering the Persian Gulf.
“The simultaneous passage of US, British and French aircraft carriers through the Strait of Hormuz shows that America takes Iran’s threats as serious and does not have enough courage to pass through this strait alone,” Karimi-Qoddusi said.
“Due to the complete preparedness of the Islamic Republic to implement its policies in the region, America has understood that it is unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz alone and asked for assistance from the UK and France in order to pass through it,” the deputy said.
In December, Karimi-Qoddusi said the European Union would not dare halt purchases of Iranian oil. “The West is completely aware of the impact of sanctioning Iranian oil,” he said. “Putting an embargo on Iranian oil will cripple the West in many areas because it will not be able to find alternatives.”
