File photo: On April 7, 2015, file photo released by the semi-official Fars News Agency shows Iranian warship Alborz, foreground, prepares before leaving Iran's waters, at the Strait of Hormuz. (AP photo)
TEHRAN, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned Thursday that it could block the Hormuz Strait in the Gulf should the U.S. prevents its oil exports, semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the chief IRGC commander, made the remarks in reference to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani's recent statement that if Iran cannot export its crude oil through the Hormuz Strait, no other country would be able to do so.
On Tuesday, Rouhani warned against the U.S. attempts to block Iran's crude oil exports from November, saying that "cutting Iran's oil would mean cutting the region's oil."
"It would be meaningless that Iran cannot export its oil while others in the region can. Do this if you can and see its consequences," Rouhani said in Bern of Switzerland during a visit.
On Thursday, Jafari hailed what he called Rouhani's "decisive" stance against Washington's threats, expressing the hope that the warning would be put into action if the need arises.
Under contingencies, the enemies can understand the meaning of Hormuz Strait "either for all, or for none," Jafari stressed.
Besides, Commander of the IRGC Quds Force Qasem Soleimani on Tuesday lauded Rouhani for responding strongly to a U.S. plan aimed at blocking Iran's oil sales, saying "this is the Dr. Rouhani we used to know and the one he should be."
