TEHRAN – The Iranian Armed Forces will protect its oil tankers against possible threats, a top Iranian military official said on Monday after the United States warned ports operators not to allow the ships to dock and called them a “floating liability”. 

Iran’s armed forces are “prepared today as in the past to protect our fleet of oil tankers against any threats so that it can continue to use marine waterways,” said Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the deputy commander of the Iranian Army, according to ISNA.

His comments appeared to be a response to U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, who warned Iran’s business partners to “rethink your decision” to buy Iranian oil in the wake of Washington’s “toughest” sanctions against Tehran. 

MH/PA