Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces says the Islamic Republic will close the Strait of Hormuz if its interests are placed in jeopardy.

"The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway and it is therefore very important for us to keep it open," Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Sunday.

"It should be made clear that we will not allow anyone to pass through the waterway, if Iran's regional interests are jeopardized," he added.

Firouzabadi's remarks come after a recent New York Times report revealed that in the first week of June, the Israeli air force staged a maneuver off the southern Mediterranean Island of Crete in preparation for a war with the Islamic Republic

According to the report, Israeli aircraft flew over 900 miles, roughly the distance from their airfields to a nuclear enrichment facility in the central Iranian city of Natanz.

Speaking one day after the 20th anniversary of the downing of an Iranian passenger plane by the US Navy in the Strait of Hormuz, Maj. Gen. Firouzabadi criticized Washington for bowing to Tel Aviv's every demand.

"The US military belongs to the government of the United States. Greedy warmongers like Bush and the Zionists must not be able to take advantage of this institution," said Firouzabadi.

The top Iranian commander said the US government is 'trapped in the jaws of global Zionism', concluding that the American nation and military forces should not be sacrificed for unworthy rulers serving the interests of Zionism.

© Press TV