Iran’s military on Tuesday warned one of the US navy’s biggest aircraft carriers, USS John C Stennis, to keep away from the Gulf, in an escalating showdown over Tehran’s nuclear drive that could pitch into armed confrontation.
“We advise and insist that this warship not return to its former base in the Persian Gulf,” said Brigadier General Ataollah Salehi, Iran’s armed forces chief.
“We don’t have the intention of repeating our warning, and we warn only once,” he was quoted as saying by the armed forces’ official website.
The ominous message came just after Iran said it could close the strategic oil shipping channel in the Strait of Hormuz if it felt threatened.
The White House brushed off the warning, with spokesman Jay Carney saying it “reflects the fact that Iran is in a position of weakness” as it struggles under international sanctions.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2012.
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