ran’s FM says no plan to close Strait of Hormuz, insists attacks aimed at US targets

In exclusive comments to Al Jazeera, Abbas Araghchi said that Iran has no intention of closing the Strait of Hormuz at present, nor any plans to do “anything that would disrupt navigation in it at this stage.” 

Araghchi sought to draw a clear line between Tehran’s actions and regional maritime security, even as tensions soar after recent US and Israeli strikes. He reiterated that Iran’s military responses are targeted at American forces, not its neighbours.

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“We have no problem with the countries in the other side of the Persian Gulf, we have friendly relations and good neighbourly relations with all of them and we are determined to continue to these relations,” he said. 

“What we are doing is in fact an act of self-defence and retaliation to the American aggression against us,” he added. “We are not attacking our brothers in the Persian Gulf, we are not attacking our neighbours, but we are attacking American targets.” 

Political transition under way 

On the political front, Araghchi also hinted at a rapid leadership transition following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli air strikes. He said state institutions in Iran are functioning and the country “has constitutional procedures in place”, adding: “You may see the selection of a supreme leader in a day or two.” 

Revolutionary Guards claims strike on US carrier 

In a further escalation, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said it had struck the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf. 

“The US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was struck by four ballistic missiles,” the Guard said in a statement carried by local media, warning “the land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the terrorist aggressors”. 

The carrier has been operating in the Arabian Sea since the end of January. There was no immediate confirmation from the United States military regarding damage or casualties.