Iran threatens to block Gulf oil route if attacked

Tehran - Reiterating earlier such warnings, Iran said it would block the oil export route in the Persian Gulf if attacked, a Tehran newspaper reported Saturday.

"It is understood that a country would use all possible options against the aggressor if militarily attacked. In that case, Iran would also intensify control of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz," the commander of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards told Jam'e Jam daily.

General Mohammad Ali Jafari also warned neighbouring countries not to take part in any military strike plans against Iran.

The general was referring to reports that the United States and Israel might attack the main Iranian nuclear site in Natanz, central Iran, after the Islamic state once again refused to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.

In earlier statements, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned that the country would be justified to use all options in the case of an attack. He also has not ruled out blocking the Persian Gulf blockade and using controls on oil supplies as a weapon.

A major part of regional oil exports are piped through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and a blockade could trigger a world- wide energy crisis. (dpa)

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