Iran military ‘ready to protect oil tankers’ against any threats

Iran’s armed forces will protect the country’s oil tankers against any threats, a military official said on Monday. The statement came after the United States said the ships were a “floating liability” and warned port operators not to allow them to dock, Reuters reported. “Iran’s armed forces… are prepared today as in the past to protect our fleet of oil tankers against any threats so that it can continue to use marine waterways,” Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of the regular armed forces, said, according to ISNA. US Special Representative Brian Hook said on Wednesday that “self-insured Iranian tankers are a risk to the ports that permit them to dock [and] the canals that allow them to transit.” Iranian media described Hook’s remarks as a threat against Iranian tankers that carry Iran’s crude and oil products.