TEHRAN (Reuters) - The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said Iran would impose controls on shipping in the vital Persian Gulf oil transit route if the Islamic Republic came under attack, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

""Naturally every country under attack by an enemy uses all its capacity and opportunities to confront the enemy. Regarding the main route for exiting energy, Iran will definitely act to impose control on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz,"" commander-in-chief Mohammad Ali Jafari told Jam-e Jam newspaper.
The Islamic Republic insists its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity. Washington has said it wants diplomacy to end the nuclear row but has not ruled out military action.
""If there is a confrontation between us and the enemy from outside the region, definitely the scope (of the confrontation) will reach the oil issue,"" Jafari said.
""After this action (of Iran imposing controls on the Persian Gulf waterway), the oil price will rise very considerably and this is among the factors deterring the enemies,"" he said.
He called on countries in the region not to let their territory be used for any attack.
The United States has military stationed in the area, including Iran's neighbors Iraq and Afghanistan.
""If enemies from outside the region use the soil of regional countries against the Islamic Republic of Iran ... the governments of those countries will be responsible and it is our obvious right to act in the same way against their military capabilities and abilities of enemies anywhere,"" Jafari said.