Iranian military advisor says managing Strait of Hormuz is a strategic duty

Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran, stated on Monday that managing and restricting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is a strategic duty of Iran's Armed Forces. He made these remarks during a specialized-scientific seminar titled "Geographical Requirements Influencing the Defense Strategy for the Strait of Hormuz," which focused on clarifying the approach of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Safavi pointed to the passage of the enemy's military equipment through the Strait of Hormuz in recent years and emphasized that the waterway is an integral part of Iranian territorial waters. He asserted that Iran's sovereignty and management over the region constitute not merely a political claim but an indisputable legal and geographical right. He added that Iran does not seek to escalate tensions but remains resolute in exercising its sovereign rights. When the strategic waterway becomes a conduit for the transit of military equipment directly targeting Iran's national security, managing and restricting such traffic is not only a right but also a strategic imperative for the country's Armed Forces, he maintained.

Dismissing the hypothesis that the importance of the Strait of Hormuz would decline due to the construction of pipelines or alternative routes, Safavi stated that the strait is a strategic bottleneck in the global energy network system. He noted that its importance in today's volatile global market is even greater than in the past, with more than 20 percent of the world's oil and energy continuing to pass through this significant waterway. Safavi, who is also the head of the Research Institute for Sacred Defense Sciences and Teachings Research Center of martyr Haj Qassem Soleimani, emphasized that management of the strategic strait entails turning the waterway into a means of lifting maritime sanctions and a pathway to achieving regional peace and security through the participation of regional countries.

Emphasizing that the Strait of Hormuz is an integral part of Iran's territorial waters, Major General Safavi stated, "Our primary strategy is the intelligent management of the Strait of Hormuz in the face of the American naval blockade against our country and our dear people." According to Mehr News, the seminar aimed to clarify Iran's approach to the strategic waterway, highlighting its significance in global energy flows and Iran's sovereign rights.