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US warns of possible strikes on Iran ports as Hormuz becomes flashpoint
US military considers civilian ports to be legitimate targets, prompting a threat from Iran that no location in the Gulf would remain safe
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US Central Command (CENTCOM) has urged civilians to keep clear of all port facilities in Iran, an announcement that drew a warning from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of Gulf-wide retaliatory strikes if those sites are targeted.
On Wednesday, CENTCOM said that the Iran was using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz to conduct military operations, which would make the ports legitimate military targets under international law.
Civilians should immediately avoid all port facilities, and Iranian dockworkers, administrative personnel and commercial vessel crews should avoid Iranian naval vessels and military equipment, CENTCOM said.
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Tehran’s response was swift and defiant. Armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi said that if US threats against Iranian ports were carried out, no port, economic centre or location in the Gulf would remain safe, according to remarks carried by the Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards.
“They would all become legitimate targets for our armed forces,” Shekarchi said.
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The exchange marks an ever-emerging danger in the Strait of Hormuz - a waterway between Iran and Oman that is crucial for international oil shipping - which has once again become a central flashpoint in the latest Middle East conflict.
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