Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said on Friday that only Iran and other regional countries will ensure the security of the Persian Gulf and there is no need for the US and other countries to be present in the strategic waterway.

“You are damn wrong to be present in our region,” Tangsiri asserted.

“If we back down against the enemy, it will definitely dominate us and we have no choice but to stand and resist, which is the path to the victory of our nation,” he said.

The IRGC Navy chief made the remarks in an official ceremony in the city of Dezful in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, where he lauded the city’s remarkable resistance during the Iraqi aggression imposed on the country in the 1980s.

Describing Dezful as the symbol of resistance and invincibility, Tangsiri said, “During eight years of the Sacred Defense (Iran-Iraq war), we showed the world that we did not and would not surrender to duress.”

He also highlighted the role of the country’s media in countering the enemy’s propaganda.

“We resolutely secure the Persian Gulf, and the media must participate in this security and reflect the capabilities of the IRGC Navy and the Army so that the world understands that the security of the Persian Gulf does not need foreigners,” Tangsiri said.

“We stand firmly against the enemy and will defend the honor and dignity of the Iranian nation,” he added.