mo4ch:>Iran says navy prepared to protect oil tankers from ‘any threats’ as US sanctions kick in | Mo4ch News

Following US warnings dissuading port operators from allowing Iranian tankers to dock, Iran’s top brass pushed back by reiterating that its navy is ready to protect ships against any threats.Iran’s military is “prepared today as in the past” to protect against “any threats,” and to ensure the safe passage of Iranian oil tankers, Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of the regular armed forces, said on Monday, Iranian news agency ISNA reports.He stressed that any “hindrances” to Iran’s right to use international waterways “would be clearly unacceptable.”The comments come a week after the United States unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Tehran’s oil, shipping and banking industries. Although it’s unclear whether other nations will abide by Washington’s diktats, US officials have hinted that Iranian ships will no longer be welcome in international waters.“From the Suez Canal to the Strait of Malacca and all choke-points in between, Iranian tankers are a floating liability,”…