Tehran, April 13 -- Iran on Monday strongly criticised US plans to impose a blockade on its ports, warning that maritime security across the Persian Gulf region would be jeopardised if its own security is threatened.

According to the Iranian state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), citing a statement from the spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman must be upheld collectively, adding that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic consider safeguarding the country's rights and sovereignty in its territorial waters a "natural and legal duty".

"The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran consider defending the legal rights of our country a...