Iran Warns Tankers to Use OK'd Routes  07/02 06:11

   Iran's joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving 
through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a "forceful 
response," again ratcheting up tensions over a waterway crucial for 
international energy supplies.

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Iran's joint military command warned 
Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its 
approved routes or face a "forceful response," again ratcheting up tensions 
over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies.

   The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the 
top issues in negotiations to reach a permanent end to the Iran war. The 
statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state 
television, comes after both U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators on 
Wednesday in Qatar.

   It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the threat from Iran. However, the 
U.S. military's Central Command had put out a statement about having a meeting 
with officials from Mideast nations in Bahrain that said "leaders underscored 
their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of 
Hormuz."

   That appears to have been the phrase to anger Iran, which is preparing for 
the funeral that begins this weekend for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali 
Khamenei, who was killed in the war's first moments in February.

   "Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard 
for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of 
Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed 
forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels," the Iranian 
statement said.

   It also said the continued presence of U.S. fighter jets over the strait 
"causes insecurity in this waterway and threatens regional security."

   "Any attempt by the United States to interfere in security matters or any 
disruptive action in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a threat to Iran's 
national sovereignty and will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction," the 
Iranian warning added.

   Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships 
to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control 
the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades 
of practice in the waterway.

   The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they won't agree to the charges. An 
effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman's 
shore sparked attacks across the Mideast last weekend, highlighting the 
tensions.