IRGC Denies Pentagon’s Claim, Slams US Vessels’ ‘Unprofessional’ Maneuvers in Hormuz Strait
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy rejected the Pentagon’s “untrue” account of what has happened during a recent encounter between the US naval forces and IRGC vessels in Iran’s southern waters, warning the “terrorist” US military forces to avoid unprofessional maneuvers.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the IRGC Navy dismissed the claim raised by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby that IRGC speed boats have buzzed close to US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Denouncing the “untrue” American claims as a move for pinning the blame on others, the IRGC advised the Americans to “avoid unprofessional behavior and obey maritime laws and regulations in order not to jeopardize the Persian Gulf security.”
Kirby has claimed that a US vessel fired warning shots at 13 IRGC Navy boats that had approached seven US vessels at high speeds in the narrow Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The Pentagon’s spokesperson said the Iranian vessels closed within 140 meters before one of the US vessels fired 30 shots in two volleys, until they moved away.
The IRGC Navy said in the statement that the “terrorist” US military forces have displayed unprofessional behavior in the Persian Gulf, particularly in the current month, and continue to pose a serious threat to regional security.
According to the statement, the IRGC Navy’s patrol vessels were conducting their routine daily missions in Iran’s territorial waters on Monday, May 10, when they encountered seven US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as the Americans displayed unprofessional behavior such as flying choppers, shooting flares, and firing untargeted, unnecessary and provocative shots.
The IRGC vessels stayed away from the US forces at the legal distance within the framework of maritime regulations and warned them against dangerous and unprofessional moves, the statement noted, adding that the Americans “corrected their behavior” after the warning and kept sailing in their path.
The IRGC Navy noted that the untrue account of the encounter provided by the Pentagon spokesman is aimed at pretending that the US forces feel responsible for preventing risks, while “it is the Americans that have become the center of instability, making of threats, and emergence of risks that cause insecurity in the region, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, with their illegitimate presence.”
“The Americans must avoid untrue stories and unprofessional behaviors and seriously abide by international regulations as well as the maritime and band control laws in the strategic region of the Hormuz Strait and the Persian Gulf,” the statement underlined.
It went on to say that the redline for the Iranian servicemen is “illegal, unprofessional and dangerous” maneuvers by outsiders, specifically from the US terrorist navy forces, who have posed serious challenges and threats to the maritime security in the region.
The Iranian naval units are prepared to respond decisively and courageously to any miscalculation, the statement concluded.
