Iran announced it received a letter regarding its threatening to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz from the US, but stopped short on the content of the letter

Iran announced Sunday it received a letter regarding its threatening to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz from the US, but stopped short on the content of the letter.

“The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, sent a letter to Mohammad Khazaie, Iran's UN representative, which was conveyed by the Swiss ambassador, and finally Iraqi President Jalal Talabani delivered its contents to Iranian officials,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said, according to IRNA.

“We are in the process of studying the letter and if necessary we will respond.”

On Friday, the New York Times, citing unnamed US officials, reported that Washington had used a secret channel to warn Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei that closing the narrow strategic waterway would cross a "red line" and provoke a response.

The Strait of Hormuz became the focal point of the recent escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran with Iran warning that imposing sanctions against the energy sector will prompt it to prevent oil cargoes from passing through the strategic Strait.