US-Israeli coordination on alternative routes for Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb
Washington, Tehran, Jerusalem – Reuters, AFP – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei, called for strengthening unity among Islamic countries, while emphasizing internal cohesion and urging Iranian officials and the public to set aside differences and unite in the face of Washington and Tel Aviv.
As the United States hosts finance ministers of the Group of Twenty and central bank governors on Monday and Tuesday, in a meeting highlighting Washington’s efforts to rally support from G20 nations to intensify economic pressure on Iran and isolate its economy from financing and trade sources, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen revealed US-Israeli coordination to find alternative routes to the Hormuz Strait and the Bab al-Mandab.
He affirmed that the goal is to provide an alternative energy route away from the two straits amid the security tensions they are experiencing.
He also stated that Israel would strike Iran even if it reaches an agreement with the United States, should it “make a mistake” and attempt to resume its nuclear or ballistic missile programs.
In Tehran, Khamenei, in a message for “Unity Week” and the Prophet’s birthday, published on his official website on Sunday, said that “the remedy for the problems of the Islamic nation lies in unity of voice, friendship, and cooperation in the pursuit of good and benevolence.”
He added that the United States and Israel are not only hostile toward Iran and the “Resistance Front,” but, in his words, toward “the entire Islamic nation,” including the peoples of West Asia and North Africa.
This is the second message in three days in which Khamenei has stressed internal cohesion. On Friday, he declared that “anything that harms social cohesion is forbidden,” and called on state institutions to consider the impact of their decisions on internal harmony.
For his part, Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zinivand affirmed that the naval blockade affects Iran, but will not be limited to the economy alone.
Zinivand added, “We are not idle, and we will certainly take strong actions and responses. If the United States believes it can achieve something by closing the sea for several months or a year, it is mistaken.”
He said, “A country that has 15 neighboring states, all these shared borders, the Caspian Sea, benefits from dozens and hundreds of border markets, and possesses various air transport routes, cannot be subjected to an absolute blockade.”
