Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Warn Saudi Naval Vessels: Stay Away from Iranian Waters
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a statement warning Saudi Arabia that military vessels of this country should not even pass through international waters near Iran.
Following military exercises conducted by Saudi Arabia, the Naval Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps announced on Wednesday, October 5, in a statement: “This exercise is a clear example of tension-creating and reducing sustainable security in the Persian Gulf.”
The Revolutionary Guards Navy warned the military vessels participating in Saudi Arabia’s maneuver “under no circumstances” to approach the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran and even to refrain from passing through “international waters near Iranian territorial waters”; otherwise, it “will by no means constitute innocent passage.”
According to Reuters news agency, Saudi Arabia’s military forces launched exercises in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of Oman starting Tuesday, October 4.
According to this report, the stated reason for conducting the maneuver is preparation for dealing with the danger of possible aggression, and various types of military ships and boats of Saudi Arabia’s Navy are participating in it.
Iran and Saudi Arabia currently have no diplomatic relations, and with the Supreme Leader’s statement against Saudi Arabia on the eve of the Hajj ceremony and Saudi officials’ statements about Iran’s support for terrorism, tensions between the two countries have risen again.
Nevertheless, Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s President, after attending the United Nations General Assembly in a press conference in New York, said that Iran and Saudi Arabia have no “major issue” in bilateral relations and “Iran’s major problem” with Saudi Arabia concerns interference in regional countries including Yemen and also the treatment of pilgrims.
Source: Voice of America
