Iran Army Chief Says Hormuz Restrictions to Continue If Rights Not Respected

Major General Amir Hatami, commander of the Iranian Army, said late Thursday that restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz will continue if the enemy fails to respect the rights of the Iranian nation. He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 11th National Itikaf Congress and the 8th International Scientific, Literary and Artistic Itikaf Festival, held at the Imam Ali (a.s.) Officers' Academy's Mosque in Tehran.

General Hatami identified four pillars of Iran's power: the people, the Armed Forces, the governance structures, and the country's geopolitical position. He stated that these components have caused the enemy's calculations to fail completely. Referring to the role of the Iranian people during the early days of the war imposed by the United States and Israel, he said that the nation entered the fray spontaneously, relying on its own capabilities, and that this point has been emphasized by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei. He added that the people played a leading and outstanding role in thwarting the enemies' miscalculations and plots during the imposed war.

Hatami described the Armed Forces as the second pillar of the country's power, saying they responded to the enemy with full force, including firing salvos of missiles at enemy positions in the very first hours of the war. He noted that the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) continued their operations despite the martyrdom of a large number of commanders and officials, and that these events did not hinder ongoing operational activities.

The Army chief reiterated that if the enemy does not respect the rights of the Iranian nation, restrictions regarding passage through the Strait of Hormuz will continue. According to Mehr News, the remarks were made during a religious gathering that also included scientific, literary, and artistic components.