Iran warns of oil cutoff, touts new naval weapon

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran warned Monday it could easily close a critical Persian Gulf waterway to oil shipments and said it had a new long-range naval weapon that could sink enemy ships nearly 200 miles away.

The warning, by the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, followed the weekend expiration of an informal deadline for Iran to respond to incentives from six world powers to stop enriching uranium.

The United States, which has warships deployed in the Persian Gulf, has said new sanctions should be imposed on Iran for failing to respond to the deadline. On Monday, a State Department official said the six powers — the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany — had agreed to pursue new sanctions, but it remained unclear what they might be or which nations would take part.

In comments carried by the semiofficial Iranian news agency Fars, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, said Iran was capable of imposing "unlimited controls" at the Strait of Hormuz.

Up to 40 percent of the world's oil passes through the strait, a narrow passage along Iran's southern coast. Tehran has warned it could shut down tanker traffic there if attacked — a move likely to send oil prices skyrocketing.

Jafari said Monday the new marine weapon is "unique" and has a range of 186 miles, according to the state news agency IRNA. That's within range of U.S. warships deployed in the Persian Gulf.

Last month, Iran tested missiles it claimed were capable of traveling 1,250 miles — putting U.S. military bases in the Middle East as well as Israel, Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan all within striking distance.

Monday's report gave no details on when or where the new weapon was tested. Its range indicates it could be a type of torpedo, but state radio called it a missile.

The U.S. and its allies think that Iran, which concealed its program from international inspectors for 18 years, is seeking nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is only for peaceful purposes, and it's defying U.N. Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment, the process that produces fuel for nuclear-power plants and weapons.

Iran already has been slapped with three rounds of U.N. sanctions, including asset and visa freezes, and the European Union is poised to finalize additional steps as early as Wednesday that go beyond the U.N. measures.