A senior Iranian military commander said Friday that vessels passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz must communicate with Iranian naval forces in the Persian language.
Rear Adm. Ali Reza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) naval division, said any vessel that seeks entry into the Strait of Hormuz must introduce itself in Persian -- the national language of Iran.
"Any vessel that wants to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must inform us of its nationality, type of cargo, and destination in Farsi language," he said. "If it does not do that, we will definitely go after it."
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane that lies between Iran and the Omani Peninsula, is approximately 30 miles wide at its narrowest point and has been a source of tension for decades.
In recent years, vessels have either been attacked or seized in the narrow strip through which 20% to 30% of the world's seaborne oil transits.
Last month, the US military announced it will be stepping up patrols in the Strait of Hormuz through its Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, along with regional allies, amid growing tensions with Iran.
The announcement came days after Iranian naval forces seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat and injured several crewmen, according to Iran's army.
The US Navy termed the tanker's seizure "contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability."
In remarks at an event in southern Ahvaz on Friday, the IRGC's navy commander said Iran was not allowed to control the Strait during the pre-1979 Mohammed Reza Pahlavi era, but "now vessels passing through the strait, including ships, warships, boats must introduce themselves in Persian."
Tangsiri said maintaining the security of the Persian Gulf lies with all "friendly and brotherly countries" of the region but the responsibility of controlling the entry and exit of ships in the Strait lies with Iran. He added that Iran has "no fear of any enemy or superpower," in a veiled reference to the US.
Friday's remarks came less than one month after the IRGC Navy commander said only Iran and regional countries should maintain the security of the Persian Gulf, and that there is no need for the US or other extra-regional countries to be present in the strategic waterway.
"You are damn wrong to be present in our region," Tangsiri said at the time. "If we back down against the enemy, it will definitely dominate us and we have no choice but to stand and resist, which is the path to the victory of our nation."
