Tehran, Iran – In a media escalation reflecting heightened regional tensions, the Kayhan newspaper, close to the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader, renewed its explicit calls for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The newspaper asserted that this move falls within the Islamic Republic’s “legal rights” under international law.
A “retaliatory response,” not a “diplomatic smile.”
The newspaper emphasized in its latest issue that Tehran has every right to resort to “reciprocal or retaliatory action” to counter external pressures. Its editorial, written in sharp language, stated: “When the enemy draws his sword, we will not greet him with a diplomatic smile,” a clear indication of the rejection of current negotiating tracks under the shadow of American threats.
Destroying American ships is a “legitimate right”
Kayhan did not stop at calling for the strangulation of international shipping in the vital strait. It went even further, promoting the principle of “destroying American ships,” which it considered a legitimate right for Iran in response to US military actions in the region.
Hormuz weapon in times of crisis
It is worth noting that the Kayhan newspaper has historically brandished the “Hormuz card” whenever Tehran faces a political or economic crisis. However, the timing of this current call is doubly dangerous, as it coincides with intensified US naval activity in the Gulf. It also coincides with the failure of back-channel diplomacy to reach mutually acceptable understandings. Observers believe these statements may be a “trial balloon” to gauge the international community’s reaction, or they may be a prelude to a sovereign Iranian decision to move from verbal threats to action on the ground in the waterway through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption passes.
