TEHRAN -- The chief
commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Sunday Iran possesses state-of-the-art marine technologies, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic will not allow any aggression against its territory.
Major General Hussein Salami made the remarks while inspecting the IRGC’s marine units in the country’s north, accompanied by IRGC Navy commander Brigadier General Alireza Tangsiri.
Emphasizing that the IRGC will not allow any aggressor to invade the country, General Salami said the steadfastness of the Iranian nation and its support for the country’s rightful stances have thwarted all the enemy’s plots.
Salami noted that before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, “all structures of our power were under control of other” countries, adding, “This meant that the pillars of our power were at the mercy of others.”
“However, following the Islamic Revolution, we achieved this power and technology and this has stirred fear among the enemies,” the IRGC’s chief commander said.
“Today, we have maintained our maritime domination and also expanded our reach,” General Salami remarked, adding, “At the present time, we possess modern marine technologies.”
The IRGC chief asserted that the Islamic Republic cannot be barred from gaining more power and “everyone should know that we will not let anybody interfere in our country’s affairs.”
No one, except for the Iranian nation, should be able to decide the nation’s fate, General Salami said, adding, “Our message is that if anyone wanted to decide our fate, we would decisively confront them.”
General Salami then described Iranian vessels as the “fluid infrastructure” of the country’s power.
He added, “We possess the technologies related to boosting the quality of warships … The vessels are true identity of our tactics, which carry strategic messages at sea.”
Earlier this month, the IRGC’s Navy released video footage of an October 25 encounter between its forces and the U.S.
 military, with the former landing on the deck of a tanker that had seized an Iranian oil shipment in an “act of piracy”. They navigated the vessel toward Iranian waters, despite the U.S. military’s efforts to retake take it back.
Prior to the operation, American forces had confiscated a tanker carrying the cargo of Iranian oil in the strategic Sea of Oman and transferred its consignment of crude to the MV Sothys that was then seized by Iran. The MV Sothys was released days ago.