Violation of Iran’s Territorial Waters to Draw Harsh Response: Commander
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari stressed that his forces will take decisive action against any violation of the country’s territorial waters, without making any exception.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency in Iran's central city of Arak, the commander gave an assurance that the Navy’s response to the hostile moves will be "crushing without any tolerance or special consideration."
He also recommended that the US naval forces avoid “making any mistake” in the region, because Iran has already made it clear that the Persian Gulf security should exclude all foreign forces.
Earlier in January, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy captured 10 US Navy sailors inside Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, but released them a day later following an apology and after technical and operational investigations indicated that the intrusion into Iranian territorial waters was unintentional.
In December 2015, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined that security of the Persian Gulf region comes within the purview of the regional countries alone, and dismissed the US claim of seeking security in the region.
"The Persian Gulf security relates to the countries of the region which have common interests, and not to the US. So, security of the Persian Gulf region should be provided by the countries of this region itself," the Leader said.
