IRGC’s Second in Command Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said the movements of US battleships in the region are under the complete control of Iran’s army and the IRGC and there are no worries regarding this.
“Over the years, our forces have thoroughly surrounded the Persian Gulf so that they [US battleships] must move with the permissions we give them,” Fars News Agency quoted him as saying.
Fadavi further noted that north of the Strait of Hormuz is fully controlled by Iran and theycannot approach Iran’s coastal waters.
“A few years ago, our friends suggested that all the Persian Gulf carriers should speak Farsi, so now in all these carriers there is a Farsi translator, and this means authority,” he stressed.
Tensions have spiked between Tehran and Washington after the US sent more military forces to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and Patriot missiles, in a move that US officials claim are Iranian threats to their troops and interests in the region.
However, Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Tuesday that Washington has no interest in escalating tensions with Iran or going to war with the Middle Eastern country.
Iran’s Leader Ayatollah SeyyedAli Khamenei has said that Iran does not intend to wage war with the United States, but will continue to resist Washington.