The Iranian foreign ministry issued a statement on Sunday acknowledging the receipt of a letter from Washington warning the Islamic Republic that following through on its recent threats to close the Strait of Hormuz would be a “red line” for the US which would result in devastating consequences. The letter was conveyed via the Swiss and Iraqi governments, due to the lack of direct diplomatic relations between the two governments. Elsewhere, Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of Iran's armed forces, sent a thundering warning to the US on Sunday that "Despite their propaganda, the US knows that it does not have the ability to halt the Islamic Republic's activities in certain areas, notably in closing the Strait of Hormuz…if the interests of Iran and the Islamic world are in danger, our armed forces have the ability to confront those wishing to create trouble in the region."
To read the latest intelligence report on Iran, click HERE (PDF)
Also on Sunday, Iran’s representative to OPEC, Mohammad Ali Khatibi, warned his Islamic neighbors against cooperating with economic sanctions against his country by raising their production of crude oil to compensate world supply for the Iranian oil several countries have decided to boycott. Khatabi menacingly declared in an interview with Qatar's Sharq newspaper that if they dare to do so these countries "will be held responsible for what happens."
In related news, state run media in Iran have announced that the government has what it claims to be “documents” which prove the CIA was behind the recent assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist. No further details were given, and similar official statements in the past have later proven to be empirically false. Another account of the assassination was published in the London-based Sunday Times on Sunday, this time blaming Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Elsewhere, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement on Sunday that "any terrorist action or assassination of any people, whether scientist or civilian, is to be condemned. It is not acceptable. Human rights must be protected."
