Tehran, March 15 -- Iran's state media has cited former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaee to say that the country will keep the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz closed and will not allow US warships to enter the Persian Gulf.

Press TV reported Rezaee as blaming Washington for escalating insecurity in West Asia.

According to Press TV, Mohsen Rezaee, a high-ranking member of Iran's Expediency Council, made the remarks while addressing participants at a mass funeral procession in Tehran for Ali Shamkhani, who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on Febraury 28.

He emphasised that the strategic waterway will remain shut, and no US warship will be allowed to enter Persian Gulf waters.

"The presence of ...