Tensions rise between Iran and U.S. over strait

Iran warned the United States not to return a U.S. aircraft carrier to Persian Gulf waters, as tensions rose over Iran’s naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. State Department and White House said Iran’s threats show sanctions are working. Major General Ataollah Salehi, commander of Iran’s Army, issued the warning. According to a report, Salehi “said the country will not adopt any irrational move but it is ready to severely react against any threat.”

A series of naval exercises have increased tensions in the region, and Western diplomats have called the drills further evidence of Iran’s volatile behavior. Iran has defended their maneuvers as not aggressive, but rather about protecting its “interests and power.”