Iran Threatens to Sink US Warships; CENTCOM Claims Control of Strait of Hormuz

Tehran/Washington: A senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has threatened to sink US warships if they approach the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a strong response from the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei said on television that Iranian forces were waiting for US warships to come close to the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz so that they could sink them. He claimed that US aircraft carriers did not have the courage to approach the waterway and that a US carrier had moved 700 kilometres away.
The Iranian commander further said that if the United States wanted to see whether the Strait of Hormuz was open or closed, it should come to the field and see who controlled it. He claimed that the IRGC Navy controlled the Strait and the Persian Gulf, while Iran’s regular navy controlled the Gulf of Oman.
CENTCOM rejected the claims, saying that the IRGC Navy commander had no navy and that the Strait of Hormuz was clearly under the control of US forces and regional partners. It said US forces had helped Gulf partners transport more than 19 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait on Monday.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, during an election rally in Wasilla, Alaska, said: “Wait and see what we do with Iran. We are going to deliver a tremendous blow.” He reiterated that the key point was that Iran would not have nuclear weapons.
According to Axios, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed launching a major new operation against Iran before elections in both countries. The report said the discussion took place before Trump publicly said he would not attack Iran before the US midterm elections on November 3.
Separately, local officials said three people were injured when an unidentified drone attacked a fishing boat near the coast of Sirik in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province. The source of the drone has not yet been identified.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari urged Washington and Tehran to uphold the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding reached in June and resolve differences through dialogue. He expressed concern over attacks on shipping and energy installations and stressed safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.