The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday warned civilians to avoid using ports along the Strait of Hormuz where Iranian forces conduct military operations that threaten international shipping.
“This dangerous action risks the lives of innocent people,” it said in a statement issued from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida. “Civilian ports used for military purposes lose protected status and become legitimate military targets under international law.”
CENTCOM also urged civilians in Iran to immediately avoid all port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating. Iranian dockworkers, administrative personnel, and commercial vessel crews should avoid Iranian naval vessels and military equipment.
It said Iranian naval forces have positioned military vessels and equipment within civilian ports serving commercial maritime traffic.
Although the US military also cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes, CENTCOM said US forces will continue taking every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians.
On Wednesday, spokesperson of Iran’s armed forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned that his forces would target ports across the region if Iranian maritime infrastructure is attacked, urging neighboring states to expel US forces.
Quoted by state TV, Shekarchi said, “If our ports and docks are threatened, all ports and docks in the region will be our legitimate targets.”
He officially denied accusations that naval vessels from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were hiding in commercial or economic ports.
