Iran Warns of ‘Overwhelming Response’ if US Intervenes in Strait of Hormuz

Hopes for Strait of Hormuz Normalization Fade

Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route, are rising again as fighting between the US and Iran resumes. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Washington against intervening in shipping through the waterway.

Iran’s state news agency reported that the IRGC Navy said in a statement on July 9 that “foreign forces have no place in this land and in the Strait of Hormuz.” Any US intervention in shipping lanes there would disrupt the phased normalization of maritime traffic, it said.

The IRGC Navy also said any attempt by the US to dictate shipping routes would trigger an overwhelming response. Such a move would also jeopardize the interests of countries that rely on the Strait of Hormuz, it added.

Iran said vessel traffic through the strait had recovered to about 50% of prewar levels. It also said transit by ships authorized to use routes designated by Iran was increasing.

Iran signed a memorandum of understanding with the US last month to end the war and temporarily allowed free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days. Vessel traffic through the strait had been gradually increasing afterward.

But the resumption of fighting between the two countries has stalled that recovery again. As military tensions rise, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been paralyzed, the report said.

Oh Se-seong, Hankyung.com reporter sesung@hankyung.com