Talk of blocking the strategic oil route through the Strait of Hormuz is a discussion of the past, a commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Saturday in comments that seemed to back away from an earlier threat. But he said Iran had other, unspecified strategies for reacting to any Western aggression. “Discourse about closing the Strait of Hormuz belongs to five years ago. Today's debate in Iran contains new layers and the time has not come to raise it,” Gen. Masoud Jazayeri said in comments posted Saturday on the Guard's website, sepahnews.com. Jazayeri did not elaborate. Vice President Mohamed Reza Rahimi threatened Tuesday to close the strait, cutting off oil exports, if the West imposes sanctions on Iran's oil shipments. Iran's navy chief Adm. Habibollah Sayyari warned Wednesday that his country can easily close the strategic oil route at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf, the passageway through which a sixth of the world's oil flows. Meanwhile, Iran test-fired long range missiles Saturday during a naval exercise in the Gulf, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Obama signs Iran sanctions into law In Honolulu, Hawaii, US President Barack Obama Saturday signed into law tough new sanctions targeting Iran's central bank and financial sector, in a move likely to deepen acrimony between Washington and Tehran. The measures, meant to punish Iran for its nuclear program, were contained in a $662 billion defense bill, which officials said Obama signed despite concern it could complicate his bid to build an international front against Tehran.
