In comments on Monday, the spokesman stressed that that the Iranian Armed Forces consider defending the country’s legal rights a natural and lawful duty, and on this basis, the exercise of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran in its territorial waters is a natural right of the Iranian nation.

“Accordingly, ensuring security in the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran will resolutely continue to be carried out by the devoted Armed Forces, and as has been repeatedly declared, enemy-affiliated vessels do not have and will not have the right to cross the Strait of Hormuz, while other vessels, in compliance with the regulations of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, will continue to be permitted passage through the strait,” he said.

“Furthermore, given the continuation of enemy threats against the Iranian nation and the national security of our country even after the end of the war, the Islamic Republic of Iran will firmly implement a permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz,” the spokesman stated.

He denounced the “criminal American action” to impose restrictions on maritime transit of vessels in international waters as an “illegal measure and an instance of maritime piracy”.

“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran clearly and decisively declare that security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for all or for none,” he warned.

The military spokesperson cautioned that if the security of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe.

On February 28, following the assassination of Iran's late leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and several military commanders, the US and Israel launched a military offensive against Iran. In response, the Iranian Armed Forces executed a series of counterattacks over 40 days, targeting US and Israeli military assets, which resulted in significant damages and prolonged the conflict. A two-week ceasefire was brokered on April 8, allowing for negotiations in Islamabad, where Iran proposed a ten-point plan seeking US troop withdrawal and the lifting of sanctions.

Despite 21 hours of intense talks, the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran without an agreement, citing a lack of trust in US commitments. Amidst these tensions, Trump announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, aimed at intercepting vessels that had paid tolls to Iran. The US military confirmed that the blockade would begin on Monday at 14:00 GMT, escalating the situation further.