Iranian navy denies closure of Hormuz Strait

TEHRAN, Nov 24 (KUNA) -- Closing the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important passageway for most of oil tankers worldwide, is not on the table of the Iranian navy, a senior Iranian officer said Saturday.
"Closing the Strait of Hormuz is not listed on our agenda," Commander of the Army Naval Force, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, said in a statement.
He said Iran "does not pose a threat to the countries of the region but carries a message of peace and friendship to all these countries.
"Instead of defending its borders, Iran is capable of maintaining regional security through help of countries of the Middle East," said Sayyari who noted that the Iranian navy has good cooperation links with regional countries.
He played down importance of threats of Western countries against his country. Sayyari said the Iranian navy was following closely the movements of the "enemy" in the Gulf waters and Sea of Oman.
The Strait of Hormuz is narrow waterway between the Gulf of Oman in the southeast and the Arabian Gulf in the southwest. The narrowest point is 21 miles wide.
It is the only sea passage to the open ocean for large areas of the petroleum-exporting Gulf States. Some 20 percent of the world's oil supply passes through the strait, making it one of the world's strategically important passageways. (end) mw.bs KUNA 242132 Nov 07NNNN