Iran has opened a new naval base east of the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to boost its military control over the strategic Gulf waters, the country’s navy chief was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
“With the opening of this naval base a new line of defense has been created east of the Strait of Hormuz,” Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.
“We can prevent the entry of any enemy naval units into the strategic Persian Gulf area if need be,” he said, adding that the base was located in the port town of Jask on the Sea of Oman.
“The army needed new bases on the Sea of Oman given the presence of forces from outside the region in the waters around Iran,” he said.
An estimated 40 percent of the world’s oil passes through the narrow channel between Iran and Oman and Tehran has warned in the past it could block the waterway if it comes under attack over its controversial nuclear program.
Iran frequently stages war games in the Gulf, showing off an array of home-produced weaponry including missiles that it says are capable of targeting vessels along the entire seaway.
The US and its regional ally Israel, which accuse Iran of seeking atomic weapons, have never ruled out a military option to thwart the Islamic republic’s nuclear drive.
Iran vehemently denies the allegation, insisting that its nuclear program is strictly aimed at peaceful ends.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) greetings with what appeared to be restrained rhetoric that comes as Pyongyang moves closer to Russia and depends less on its long-time Asian ally. Kim wished “the Chinese people greater success in building a modern socialist country,” in a reply message to Xi for his congratulations on North Korea’s birthday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported yesterday. The 190-word dispatch had little of the florid language that had been a staple of their correspondence, which has declined significantly this year, an analysis by Seoul-based specialist service NK Pro showed. It said
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