Two days after the Iranian leader's statements about the necessity of continuing Iran's military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf, Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the IRGC, announced the continuation of Iran's maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and said, "We are very dangerous for the Americans if they want to be a threat."
On Tuesday evening, May 3, Mr. Salami appeared on one of Iran's official television programs and said, "We have organized and developed our naval power to overcome a great power like America, because we have no other great power or enemy other than America, because the rest do not have the capacity."
The deputy commander of the IRGC said, "The Americans' perception of our power is much lower than reality. We will continue to resolutely and powerfully expand our naval and missile deterrence power, and we will conduct our exercises according to plan for political and military interests, and we will not accept any restrictions from any power in the world."
Previously, Habibollah Sayyari, commander of the Iranian Navy, had said, "The enemies are not interested in our presence in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf with authority, but we will be present in these places with authority and it has nothing to do with anyone, and we will hold our exercises."
The statements by Iranian military commanders about continuing military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf come after recent statements by Ayatollah Khamenei, who said, "When we are afraid of showing strength to the enemy, the enemy becomes more assertive."
Mr. Khamenei said on Sunday this week, "They say Iran should not hold exercises in the Persian Gulf; what are they saying? They come from the other side of the world and hold exercises; so go to the same Bay of Pigs, what are you doing here? The Persian Gulf is our home. It is the place where the Iranian nation is present, this is how we should confront the arrogant powers."
The official website of Ayatollah Khamenei says that the Iranian leader's recent statements are a response to a draft resolution in the US Congress that seeks to "ban any Iranian exercises in the Persian Gulf."
The Supreme Leader of Iran's website refers to the actions of Randy Forbes, a Republican representative from Virginia and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Seapower and Defense Capabilities.
Mr. Forbes recently prepared a resolution in Congress calling for the US government to deal with Iran's actions in the Persian Gulf waters, saying that Iran has failed to comply with international maritime laws on numerous occasions and has weakened the security of this sea by conducting military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf.
He referred to Iran's capture of American sailors in the Persian Gulf last winter, calling the action illegal.
In what appears to be a response to this part of Mr. Forbes’ proposed resolution, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards said, “If we had acted unprofessionally, would one of the American marines who was captured on January 12, 2016 have survived? They believe that our navy is dangerous, of course it is, and I think this is the first time that the Americans have gained a proper understanding of our naval power.”
Mr. Salami said, “We warn America, its regional partners and allies that if they want to use threatening language and threaten us… we will not allow the passage of any ship or vessel that wants to threaten us.”
Source: BBC Persian
