According to reports from the Iranian National Broadcasting Station, on August 3 local time, Mokhtar Rezai, military advisor to Iran's supreme leader, said in an interview with the media that Iran will never allow a second route through the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran will strike back even if the United States deploys warships along this illegal route.
Rezaee pointed out that the United States first opened up a route in the southern part of the Hormuz Strait, violating its promises, and then continued this act by bombing southern Iran.
He said that Iran does not seek war. “We hope to avoid war through negotiations. Unfortunately, they have taken advantage of our insistence on avoiding war, taking advantage of our weaknesses.”
Rezaie emphasized that the United States must change its behavior and comply with the terms of the Iran-US understanding memorandum; otherwise, the Iranian armed forces will not stand by and the enemy's ships will face serious dangers.
In addition, Rezai also stated that Iran had previously prepared to attack three locations in Ukraine. However, they later explained that they made a mistake and had no intention of escalating the conflict or provoking war.
He added that Iran is investigating the matter. “Even if it is indeed a mistake, it must be recognized that no one can be forgiven after attacking our ships and saying ‘No, it was a mistake’.”
On the early morning of July 25th, the Ukrainian military attacked an Iranian merchant ship in the Black Sea, causing it to explode. As a result, one crew member was killed and another was injured.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaie stated at a regular press conference on August 3 that there is substantial evidence indicating that the aforementioned attack by the Ukrainian military was 'intentional'.
