Iran warns U.S. carrier to stay away from Gulf

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s army chief on Tuesday warned an American aircraft carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf in Tehran’s latest tough rhetoric over the strategic waterway, part of a feud with the United States over new sanctions that has sparked a jump in oil prices.

Gen. Ataollah Salehi spoke as a 10-day Iranian naval exercise ended near the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf.

Iranian officials have said the drill aimed to show that Iran could close the vital oil passage, as it has threatened to do if the United States enacts strong new sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program.

The strait, leading into the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, is the only possible route for tankers transporting crude from the oil-rich states of the Persian Gulf to markets. A sixth of the world’s oil exports passes through it every day.

Oil prices rose above $101 a barrel Tuesday amid concerns that rising tensions between Western powers and Iran could lead to supply disruptions.

Salehi’s comments apparently referred to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, which along with another vessel exited the Gulf after a visit to Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, according to the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.

“We recommend to the American warship that passed through the Strait of Hormuz and went to Gulf of Oman not to return to the Persian Gulf,” Salehi was quoted as saying by the state news agency.

He said Iran’s enemies have understood the message of the naval exercises, saying, “We have no plan to begin any irrational act but we are ready against any threat.”

In Washington, the Pentagon said its warships will continue to sail in the Gulf despite the warming. The U.S. Navy presence in the Gulf is in compliance with international law and aims to maintain a “constant state of high vigilance” to ensure the flow of sea commerce, Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement.