The U.S. Navy commander in the Persian Gulf says Iran will never be allowed to seal off the Strait of Hormuz.

5th fleet commander Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff and Gulf state navy commanders are discussing security at conference.

The 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain. Cosgriff says Wednesday that if Iran closes Hormuz, it will be “saying to the world that 40 percent of oil is now held hostage by a single country.”

“We will not allow Iran to close it,” he says. Iran has threatened to seal Hormuz if attacked.