TEHRAN
(Reuters) - Iran will take action if a U.S. aircraft carrier which left
the area because of Iranian naval exercises returns to the Gulf, the
state news agency quoted army chief Ataollah Salehi as saying on
Tuesday.
"Iran will not repeat its warning ... the enemy's
carrier has been moved to the Sea of Oman because of our drill. I
recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the
Persian Gulf," Salehi told IRNA.
"I advise, recommend and warn
them (the Americans) over the return of this carrier to the Persian Gulf
because we are not in the habit of warning more than once," the
semi-official Fars news agency quoted Salehi as saying.
Salehi did not name the aircraft carrier or give details of the action Iran might take if it returned.
Iran
completed 10 days of naval exercises in the Gulf on Monday, and said
during the drills that if foreign powers imposed sanctions on its crude
exports it could shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of
the world's traded oil is shipped.
The U.S. Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, said it would not allow shipping to be disrupted in the strait.
Iran
said on Monday it had successfully test-fired two long-range missiles
during its naval drill, flexing its military muscle in the face of
mounting Western pressure over its controversial nuclear program.
Iran
also said it had no intention of closing the Strait of Hormuz but had
carried out "mock" exercises on shutting the strategic waterway.
Tehran
denies Western accusations that it is secretly trying to build atomic
bombs, saying it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity.
The
United States and Israel have not ruled out military action against
Iran if diplomacy fails to resolve the Islamic state's nuclear row with
the West.
The European Union is considering following the United
States in banning imports of Iranian crude oil. U.S. President Barack
Obama signed new sanctions against Iran into law on Saturday, stepping
up the pressure by adding sanctions on financial institutions that deal
with Iran's central bank
