Iran’s parliament said Wednesday it was preparing a bill that would prohibit all foreign warships from entering the Persian Gulf unless they received permission from the Iranian navy. The bill, disclosed by the semiofficial Fars News Agency, surfaced a day after the commander of Iran’s armed forces warned a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier not to return to the gulf.
The proposed legislation suggested that at least some Iranian officials are serious about trying to stop the U.S. Navy from entering the oil- rich gulf waters.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans a four-nation tour of Latin America beginning Sunday in an apparent effort to show, in part, that he is not a universal pariah. The tour is expected to begin in Venezuela and include visits to Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador.
