Reuters: A senior Iranian lawmaker warned on Friday that the Islamic Republic would start inspecting foreign vessels in the Gulf if Iranian ships received such treatment under new U.N. sanctions adopted this week.
TEHRAN June 11 (Reuters) – A senior Iranian lawmaker warned on Friday that the Islamic Republic would start inspecting foreign vessels in the Gulf if Iranian ships received such treatment under new U.N. sanctions adopted this week.
The sanctions resolution, approved by the Security Council on Wednesday, expands existing measures targeting Iranian banks and arms imports, and also calls for setting up a cargo inspection regime similar to one in place for North Korea.
The sanctions were imposed because of Iran’s refusal to halt nuclear work the West suspects is aimed at making bombs, a charge Tehran denies.
“In the event that even one (Iranian) ship … is subjected to inspection we will seek retaliation and will inspect several of their ships,” Mehr News Agency quoted parliament member Hossein Ibrahimi as saying.
Ibrahimi is deputy head of parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission.
“The Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf will be our field of manoeuvre in this regard and whoever harbours the intention of hurting or damaging us, will be damaged severely in return,” he said. (Reporting by Hashem Kalantari; Writing by Fredrik Dahl; editing by )
