March 12 (Reuters) - Iran's U.N. Ambassador said on Thursday Tehran was not going to close the Strait of Hormuz, but added that it was Iran's right to preserve the security of the key shipping route.
Amir Saeid Iravani made his comments to reporters at the United Nations when asked about remarks by new Iranian supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who said on Thursday that the "lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used."
"We are not going to close the Strait of Hormuz," Iravani said. "But it is our inherent right to preserve the peace and security in this waterway."
In a prepared statement he read to reporters before responding to questions, Iravani said that "Iran fully respects and remains committed to the principle of freedom of navigation under the law of the sea.
"However, the current situation in the region, including in the Strait of Hormuz, is not the result of Iran's lawful exercise of its right of self-defense.
"Rather, it is the direct consequence of the destabilizing actions of the United States in launching aggression against Iran and undermining regional security."
He said he had no response to a comment by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told Sky News in an interview on Thursday that the U.S. Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, would escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz when it is militarily possible.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Kanishka Singh;Editing by David Ljunggren and Rosalba O'Brien)
