By BRADLEY KLAPPER and ROBERT BURNS
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration on Tuesday brushed aside Iran’s warning to keep U.S. aircraft carriers out of the Persian Gulf, dismissing its threats as a consequence of hard-hitting American sanctions on the Iranian economy.
Provoking a hostile start to what could prove a pivotal year for Iran, the country’s army chief said American vessels were unwelcome in the Gulf, the strategic waterway that carries to market much of the oil pumped in the Middle East.
The Islamic republic also has warned of blocking one of the world’s key tanker lanes, the Strait of Hormuz, in response to new, stronger U.S. economic penalties on Iran over its disputed nuclear enrichment program. Iranian Gen. Ataollah Salehi’s warning about the Gulf came just three days after President Barack Obama signed into law new sanctions targeting Iran’s Central Bank and its ability to sell petroleum abroad.