US better watch moves more carefully in Persian Gulf: Iran
Iran's chief Armed Forces spokesman has dismissed reports about alleged “unprofessional behavior” by Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf, saying the US had better watch more carefully the moves of its naval forces in the region.
"Reports released by American sources about unprofessional behavior by Iranian vessels are devoid of any truth," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Saturday.
He added that such reports are either "based on false information or pursue ulterior motives."
"The US must more than ever monitor and control the conduct of its warships in the Persian Gulf," said the commander.
“We stress that the Americans are to blame for any disturbance in the Persian Gulf and for this reason we once again warn that the US forces must alter their attitude,” Jazayeri pointed out.
He made the comments after the US navy claimed that its aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush was "harassed" and "threatened" by Iranian vessels while passing through the Strait of Hormuz on March 21.
The US navy claimed that more than 20 small Iranian vessels were involved in the incident as the US aircraft carrier was sailing to the northern areas of the Persian Gulf.
Rear Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, the commander of the Bush carrier strike group, described the alleged move as "unprofessional behavior."
A commander with Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on March 8 that an American warship recently drew warnings by sailing “unprofessionally” close to the force’s vessels near Iranian territorial waters.
Mehdi Hashemi, who commands the IRGC Navay’s Zolfaqar Flotilla, said the American ship was sailing as part of a naval fleet also comprising British vessels.
His remarks came after Reuters cited a US official as saying on condition of anonymity on March 6 that “a US Navy ship and three British Royal Navy boats were forced to change course when several Iranian fast-attack vessels approached them in the Strait of Hormuz” on March 4.
Last December, Jazayeri warned the US against any possible act of aggression against the Islamic Republic, vowing a harsh response to enemies’ moves.
“If the US warmongers and their stooges carry out an immature and unprofessional act, they will definitely face the Iranian combatants’ tough response,” he said.
“The current military and security conditions of the Persian Gulf are in such a way that the enemy’s forces and equipment are completely within the reach of Iran's military forces,” he added.
Iran has repeatedly warned that any trespassing on Iran’s territorial waters would meet an immediate and befitting response.
In January last year, Iran's Navy arrested the crews of two US patrol boats that had trespassed on Iranian territorial waters. Iran released them after establishing that they had done so by mistake.
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