TEHRAN – The commander of the naval unit of the IRGC announced on Monday that Iran is ready to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz upon an order by Iran’s top echelons. 

“The decision to close the Strait of Hormuz lies with the establishment’s top leaders, and I, as a soldier, say that we are ready to do it whenever the order is issued,” Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri stated.

The comments by Tangsiri came as he was at the scene of the military exercises codenamed “Smart Control of the Hormuz Strait”.

The live-fire exercises started on Monday, with a primary focus on the Strait of Hormuz. 

As a customary, during the drill, vessels are banned from passing through the waterway for some hours.

The second stage of the drill on Tuesday, conducted by combat units and rapid reaction forces, was a practice for the safe passage of ships in the narrow waterway through which 20 percent of global oil supplies pass.

Different types of offensive and defensive weaponry were used in the exercise. Military experts at the scene said the targets were successfully destroyed.

The highly maneuverable missile-launching units also fired missiles deep from inside Iran, the Persian Gulf coasts and islands, and hit their targets in the Strait of Hormuz.

Drone units also conducted operations using combat and reconnaissance UAVs, practicing missions in signal-jamming environments, and accurately striking both fixed and mobile targets.