IRGC Navy Commander:

Israeli Presence in Persian Gulf Triggers War

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said that Tehran takes the US and UK responsible for Israeli presence in the Persian Gulf, and warned that any kind of Israeli presence in the waterway could trigger war in the region.

News ID: 446551

Date: 13 August 2019 - 11:52

RNA - Referring to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy arresting intruding British forces in 2007 and American marines in 2016, IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Tangsiri told the Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen on Sunday that if the British and American forces are able to protect maritime activities in the Persian Gulf, they could have protected themselves first not being detained by Iran.

He then added that Iran is fore fronting pro-security efforts in the Persian Gulf to uphold peace in the region, adding that, however, Tehran will not allow others to take advantage of the waterbody and prevent Iran from selling its own oil.

“We safeguard the security of the Persian Gulf as long as our security is met,” he underlined, warning the trans-regional countries like the US and the UK that they cannot expect to enjoy the merits of the region while posing threat to Iran.

"The US and Britain are attempting to advance their scenarios by forming an illegal coalition in the region," he said.

He warned against any illegal military buildup in the Persian Gulf and said, "The US and the UK should take the responsibility for the presence of the Zionist Regime in Persian Gulf waters."

"We as the IRGC Navy are responsible for establishing security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf and we don't need the presence of the aliens," the Admiral added.

"Any kind of presence of the Zionist Regime in Persian Gulf is illegal as it may trigger war and conflict in the region," the IRGC Navy Commander warned.

On January 12, 2016, Patrol craft of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy arrested 9 US marine forces in Iranian territorial waters near the Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf.

On March 23, 2007, the IRGCN detained 15 Royal Navy personnel who had intruded into Iranian territorial waters.

The United States has been trying to persuade its allies into an international coalition with the declared aim of providing “security” for merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — which accommodates around a third of global seaborne oil traffic —and other strategic Middle Eastern shipping lanes.

Washington’s call has, however, been met with little interest from Washington’s allies, which are concerned that joining such an alliance could drag them into a conflict with Iran.

The French are noncommittal, while Germany, Italy and Sweden have rejected joining the alliance.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday said Berlin favored a European mission but warned it was rather difficult to make progress on the initiative.

“At the moment the Britons would rather join an American mission. We won’t do that,” said Maas.

Last Wednesday, Berlin rejected Washington’s proposal.

"The US recently presented its concept of a naval observation mission in the Persian Gulf to a number of its allies, including Germany, and asked them to participate. The government took note of the proposal, but made no promises. Foreign Minister Maas has repeatedly stressed that, in our opinion, priority must be given to reducing tensions, and to diplomatic efforts. We are in close consultation with France and the UK. Participation in the US strategy of 'maximum pressure' is ruled out for us," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

On Thursday, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami warned that any new war in the region will be a major threat to Israel, describing the issue as a main source of concern for the US.

"We are now in a full-scale war with the big powers," General Salami said, addressing a meeting in the Western city of Kermanshah on Thursday.

He underlined that Washington has no appetite for confrontation against Iran as it knows that "a new war will put the Zionist regime under a full-scale threat".

On Wednesday, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami, in separate phone talks with his Qatari, Omani and Kuwaiti counterparts, warned that the military coalition that the US is attempting to form in the Persian Gulf will undermine regional security.

General Hatami also highlighted Iran’s continued efforts to maintain peace and security all over the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.

He stressed that the region’s security should be provided by the regional states, calling for a constructive dialogue among the neighboring countries to boost their cooperation regarding the matter.

Noting that the trans-regional powers have been busy for decades with creating rifts among the neighboring countries, General Hatami reiterated that the US so-called coalition, just like its other measures, would bear no result but increasing the tensions in the region.

Last Sunday, former IRGC Commander Mohsen Rezayee said that despite the malicious efforts of the US and UK to claim control over the Strait of Hormuz with escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf region, Tehran will not allow such a thing to happen.

“Americans and the British have been fanning the flames of war in the Persian Gulf region to pretend they have control over the Strait of Hormuz and the movement of vessels. Of course, we do not allow this to happen. In the meantime, we expect cooperation from our friends in China,” Rezayee said in a meeting with a senior Chinese delegation headed by Song Tao, the Head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in Tehran.

According to Fars News Agancy, he added that Iran is not seeking war but will defend itself, while the Americans want conflict and seek to increase the tensions.

“Persian Gulf security is our security and we have to respond to their attacks and destabilizing actions in order to maintain security,” the Secretary of the Iranian Expediency Council (EC) said, adding, “We want free shipping and security in the Persian Gulf.”

“We live in the energy region of the world. Any kind of insecurity and conflict in this region would carry harm to global peace and security,” Rezayee said pointing to the new developments in the region.

847/940