The commander of the Iranian Navy, Admiral Shahram Irani, asserted that the countries of the region are capable of providing maritime security themselves, emphasizing that the presence of non-regional naval forces in the region is “unjustified.”
The admiral stated that if “the non-regional fleet believes it has arrived with force, it should know that Iran will confront it with even greater force.”
The Iranian military official’s remarks come amidst naval activity in the region.
In a related development, the Iranian news agency Fars reported that joint naval exercises will be held tomorrow between the navies of Russia and Iran in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean.
Yesterday, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri, stated that the forces are fully prepared to close the Strait of Hormuz should they receive orders to do so from the command.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy began its “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz” exercises on Monday, which focus on intelligence gathering and countering any maritime security threats.
The ‘Indian Ocean Naval Symposium’ (IONS) is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.
Source: Iranian media (edite dby Al-Manar)