General Mohammad Bagheri, the chairman of the joint armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran said that “until yesterday”, American battleships had to answer to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps about the Strait of Hormuz, and they still know who is in charge of the security of this strait.

Bagheri did not explain more about the questions and answers between the IRGC and the American battleships, but his comments could indicate that a change has occurred in the situation.

Three weeks ago, the United States designated the IRGC as a terrorist group and the Iranian parliament responded by designating the U.S Central Command in its list of terrorist organizations.

At the same time, the U.S efforts to reduce Iran’s oil export to zero by revoking the sanction waivers has added to the tensions between Tehran and Washington, and the Iranian officials once again repeated their threat of blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Bagheri said on Sunday: “If someone threatens the security of the Strait of Hormuz we will definitely respond and if our oil is not allowed to pass the strait of Hormuz, surely no one else’s oil will pass neither.”

He still emphasized that the Islamic Republic is not planning on blocking the Strait of Hormuz “unless the animosity of the enemies reaches a level that leaves no other option.”

He added: “On that day, we are perfectly capable of blocking this strait.”

Previously, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced in New York that the decision to block the Strait of Hormuz is for the “military sector” to make.