LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Commander of the Iranian Armed Forces Gen. Ataollah Salehi lauded Iran's combat readiness and lashed out against the USS John C. Stennis and its battle group. The carrier and attendant ships left the strategic Persian Gulf last week.

"We warn this ship, which is considered a threat to us, not to come back, and we do not repeat our words twice," Salehi said.

The United States is committed to ensure freedom of navigation through the Persian Gulf and the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of the world's crude oil shipments pass. The U.S. Navy maintains a base in Bahrain to support as many as three aircraft carriers and a fleet of support ships in the area.

Iran had previously threatened to close off the Persian Gulf during the war games but refrained from doing so. Officials have given contradictory statements on whether Iran would make such a move in the future.

Pentagon spokesman George Little says that the U.S. Navy observed international law.

"The deployment of U.S. military assets in the Persian Gulf region will continue as it has for decades. These are regularly scheduled movements in accordance with our longstanding commitments to the security and stability of the region and in support of ongoing operations," Little says.

According to Little, the carrier strike group deployments "are necessary to maintain the continuity and operational support to ongoing missions in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility."

"The U.S. Navy operates under international maritime conventions to maintain a constant state of high vigilance in order to ensure the continued, safe flow of maritime traffic in waterways critical to global commerce," Little added. "Our transits of the Strait of Hormuz continue to be in compliance with international law, which guarantees our vessels the right of transit passage. We are committed to protecting maritime freedoms that are the basis for global prosperity."

Placed under U.S. sanctions this past weekend, Iran's central bank flooded the local market with dollars, helping the national currency to appreciate a bit following a steep slide. The Iranian currency, the rial, had slipped to unprecedented lows against the dollar after the U.S. move.

The atmosphere on Tehran's streets was bleak.

"This means less new clothes, less cinema visits and less coffee shops for me," Javad, a civil engineering student who did not want to give his full name told reporters. He stressed that he had to pay for his studies himself and that his parents could not support him. "When I see these rates, I am shocked and worried for the future," he said.

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