Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Hossein Salami highlighted Iran’s major role in protecting the Persian Gulf’s security and said enemies are unable to make the waters insecure.
“With the grace of God, security has been established (in the Persian Gulf) with the influential presence of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Major General Salami told reporters in the holy city of Mashhad on Saturday.
“The security of the Persian Gulf is at the powerful hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the enemies will not be able to undermine this security,” the top commander added.
He further pointed to a recent missile test and said the country has always been testing a variety of defense and strategic systems.
The remarks come as the US has announced plans to form a coalition to supposedly protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from what it calls an Iranian threat following a series of mysterious attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.
Washington has accused Iran of having a hand in those attacks, a claim Tehran has strongly rejected. Tehran has warned that such sabotage operations may be part of a general ploy to target Iran amid increasing regional tensions.
The US has asked its allies, including Germany, Japan, France, Britain and Israel, to join the coalition.
The call has, however, not been warmly received, with Israel and Britain becoming the only parties which have said flat out that they would join the alliance.
Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said on August 7 that the regime would be part of such the US-led coalition to “protect the security of the Persian Gulf.” Katz claimed that Israel was determined to stop “Iranian entrenchment” in the Middle East region and strengthen Tel Aviv’s relationship with Persian Gulf countries.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on August 8 that Iran considered such possible Israeli presence in the region to be a clear threat to its national security, and reserved the right to counter it.
Source: Iranian Agencies
