The Armed Forces of Iran said this Sunday that they established a “new legal and security system” in the Strait of Hormuz, which will provide “advantages”in the economic, security,planes urity and political”, and they warned that the countries that apply the sanctions of the United States against the Islamic Republic will face difficulties in transiting through that strategic maritime way.

“From now on, countries that follow the United States in applying sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran will undoubtedly face problems when crossing the Strait of Hormuz,” the spokesperson of the Iranian Army, Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia, in an interview with the IRNA agency, where he assured that his country now exercises“fundamental and strategic” control over the strait.

According to the military chief, this new situation could have economic, political and security effects, and even contribute to neutralizing US secondary sanctions. It is and part of the primary sanctions. “Today we exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and any vessel that wants to cross it must coordinate with us,” he noted.

Geopolitical potential

Tehran has kept the Strait of Hormuz closed since the start of the war launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel. The traffic of goods and merchandise is limited due to On the one hand, due to the US blockade imposed on Iranian ports and, on the other hand, due to the restrictions imposed by Tehran, which authorizes the passage through the strait in dribs and drabs.

Akraminia, meanwhile, assured that up to now Iran had not fully used the geopolitical potential of the strait and allowed the transit of both allies and adversaries. However, the conflict led Tehran to take advantage of This strategic capacity and to redefine the control framework over the maritime route, through which 20 percent of world oil transits and significant quantities of natural gas and other key raw materials for the global economy.

The U.S. government announced on May 1 new sanctions against Iranian interests and warned of retaliation to ships that pay the Tehran authorities to cross this strait.