The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman denied remarks by US Vice President JD Vance about an arrangement for cooperation between the IRGC and the US military in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a "lie" and insisting the area is Iran's territorial waters. The denial comes hours after Vance reportedly described a framework for cooperation in the strategic waterway.
**Tehran pushes back against Vance's Strait of Hormuz remarks**
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officially denied Vice President JD Vance's claim of an operational arrangement with the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an "absolute lie" Friday evening.
"This is a lie. This is our territorial zone and the United States has no connection to it," the IRGC spokesman said, according to reports.
The denial escalates a days-long war of words over the strategic waterway. As The Zioneer reported, earlier Friday Vance described a draft framework for direct US military-IRGC cooperation in the strait — a claim the IRGC has now rejected categorically. The same report that carried Vance's remarks also disclosed the existence of a direct communication line between the two militaries, a revelation the IRGC had previously denied as an "absolute lie" earlier in the day.
It remains unclear whether Vance's remarks reflected an actual working arrangement that Iran has now walked back, or whether the IRGC is publicly disavowing a secret channel. No independent confirmation of any operational cooperation has emerged.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil passes, has been a flashpoint in US-Iran tensions for years. The IRGC has threatened disruption of shipping through the strait in past confrontations.
3 developments
- DevelopingUS Navy warns IRGC vessels in Persian: 'halt or we attack' near Strait of Hormuz
- StrongVance announces an IRGC–CENTCOM crisis resolution mechanism staffed from both sides via Doha
- DevelopingJD Vance: UAE holding unprecedented talks with Iran, including IRGC
- DevelopingCENTCOM says Iran does not control Strait of Hormuz; shipping continues as normal
Source and signal
- Internal intake