Closing Strait of Hormuz "not on Iran's agenda"
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Xinhua, December 14, 2011
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said that closing the Strait of Hormuz is not on Iran's agenda, the conservative news website, Tabnak, reported on Wednesday. "As Iran has announced it several times, the issue of closing the Strait of Hormuz is not on Iran's agenda since Iran believes in upholding the stability and peace of the region," Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying.
Mehmanparat's comment came after an Iranian lawmaker's remark on Tuesday that Iran would hold a war game in the Strait of Hormuz in the near future for closing it.
Parviz Sorouri, a member of the Iranian Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said that Iran plans to practice its ability to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important passages for exports of crude and oil products from littoral states of Persian Gulf.
"Currently, the Middle East region supplies 70 percent of the world's energy needs, (most of) which are transported through the Strait of Hormuz. We will hold an exercise of closing the Strait of Hormuz in the near future," said Sorouri.
"If the world wants to make the region insecure, we will make the world insecure," he added.
In response to Sorouri's remarks, the spokesman said that some people, including lawmakers, are not in the position of reflecting on the official stance of the country, adding that they may have their own personal comments but the stance of Iran is announced through the official channel.
Some Iranian lawmakers and military commanders have threatened that Iran will close the passage amid the West's sanction threats over Iran's oil exports.
Mehmanparast said that the military threats against the Islamic Republic are propaganda and that the United States and Israel are stirring up "war spirit" in the region to pursue their interests.
War in the region will be "costly" for the west, especially for the United States and Israel, so such military threats by the West can be bluffing, he added.
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