Iran, USA: “We will not tolerate dangerous actions during exercises in the Strait of Hormuz”

Washington (USA), Jan. 31 (LaPresse) – U.S. Central Command urged Iran to avoid “unnecessary risks to freedom of navigation” during the live-fire exercise scheduled to begin tomorrow in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. In its stern warning to Iran and the Revolutionary Guards, U.S. Central Command stressed that it will not tolerate “dangerous” actions by Iran, including overflights of engaged U.S. military vessels, the approach of high-speed boats, or the aiming of weapons at U.S. forces. On Thursday, Iran warned ships by radio that it will conduct a live-fire exercise in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and Monday. Any “dangerous and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases the risks of collision, escalation and destabilization,” U.S. Central Command warned Tehran. While acknowledging Iran’s “right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters,” U.S. Central Command warned against interfering with or threatening U.S. warships or passing commercial vessels. The command, which oversees the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, said it “will not tolerate dangerous actions” and recalled that “the U.S. military possesses the most trained and lethal force in the world.” The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and supporting guided-missile destroyers are now in the area.