Iran’s IRGC Says Following Americans in Persian Gulf ‘Like A Falcon’

Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said Rriday the Iranian military is keeping a close watch on the Persian Gulf.

“Today, we (the IRGC) are following the Americans like a falcon in the entire Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and anywhere that the Americans are present, and our brothers in the Army are monitoring them in the Sea of Oman, too,” said Admiral Tangsiri, the commander of the IRGC’s Naval Force.

“The Islamic Republic [of Iran]’s forces in the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf are monitoring all movements of the Americans,” he said.

The top commander said there is no way, but for the Americans to leave the region.
“We see a bright prospect for the Persian Gulf region. If we say the Americans should leave the region, it is because their departure will rid the region of problems and security will return to the Persian Gulf,” he noted.

“The Americans are seeking to foment tension and fuel the fire in the region,” he said.
“They brought insecurity to anywhere they went to; so, the presence of the US and transregional countries has brought insecurity to the Persian Gulf, a region which used to be calm and nations lived there in peace and harmony,” he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said US President Donald Trump and the US system are playing a blame game at this juncture given that the country is facing internal problems.
“This blame game in the Persian Gulf is a justification for their illegitimate presence, but the nations in the region have been awakened and their initial departure from Iraq will take place and, God willing, the same trend will begin in other countries as well,” the commander said.

“It has been forty years that their presence is not acceptable to people, and we believe collective security is the only way to ensure stability in the region, and we announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of challenging anybody,” he said.

He said the Americans are seeking to regain the face they have lost in the region. He also touched upon Iran’s downing of an American done that had trespassed into Iranian airspace as well as Iran striking a US base in Iraq in revenge for the US assassination of top Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

“As I said, in addition to this, they are also gripped by internal problems, and that’s why they need to play blame games,” he said.

“You should know that since the Persian Gulf region is our home, we are not seeking to set off fire in our own home, but we cannot accept that our fishing launches are searched by US forces and US choppers fly over our oil rigs and we cannot accept that they violate our rights,” he said.

The top commander also referred to the recent confrontation between the IRGC’s speedboats and American warships in the Persian Gulf.

“They had entered the territory of our exercises while it has already been announced that drills were being conducted in that territory. By making such moves, they are seeking insecurity and that is why they were ordered to leave,” he said.

“A few years ago, what happened when a US warship targeted a vessel belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), killing two Indians? The Americans are not observing shipping rules; why should they reserve the right to conduct military war games whenever they want?” said the commander.

“The Americans are on the decline and collapsing from within, but they keep trying to show off their hollow grandeur to the oppressed people in the region,” he added.