TEHRAN -- The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy said here Tuesday Iran is in possession of missiles that the United States cannot even imagine.
Addressing a ceremony at the Imam Hussein Comprehensive University, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said what Iran has shown in various maneuvers are not what the country would use in case of any war against it
“Today, we have missiles that the Americans do not even think about,” he added.
He noted that Iran is the only country that succeeded in installing missiles on 6-8 meter-long boats, emphasizing that extra-regional enemies have no capability to reach the country through the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean to defeat it.
The senior Iranian commander said American forces have been present in the Persian Gulf region since the start of the 20th century. “An American destroyer costs 2 million dollars per week and an aircraft carrier costs 5 million dollars a week and they pay this to stay in the region,” he added.
Referring to the significance of Iranian islands located in the Strait of Hormuz, Tangsiri said that if Iran loses control of the Abu Musa island, it will lose its Siri Island, the place for Iranian oil and gas extraction, and then it will lose the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb, the best fishing place.
“This is the deepest point in the Persian Gulf and it is a very important place for the country. If this region is lost, we will have no longer any control over the Persian Gulf,” the IRGC Navy commander said.
He dismissed the enemy’s plan to take control of the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, saying, “We will not allow the enemy to take away our land that our ancestors had preserved.”
He added that Iran would never allow anybody to make any comment about a portion of the country’s soil.
In reaction to a joint statement issued by China and states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at the end of their Friday summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tangsiri said the three islands belong to Iran and will undoubtedly remain a part of its integrity.
He added that Iran will not carry out an act of aggression against any country but it will also never allow anyone to speak about its national integrity.
“These islands belong to Iran and those who claim otherwise, should review history. If we go back to the history … Bahrain should return to Iran as well,” Tangsiri said.
In their joint statement, the leaders of China and the GCC states affirmed their support for what they called “all peaceful efforts, including the initiative and endeavors of the United Arab Emirates” to reach a peaceful solution to the issue of the three Persian Gulf islands through bilateral negotiations.
For many years, the UAE has been laying unfounded claims to the ownership of the three islands, turning a blind eye to the fact that all historical realities and countless documents prove that they belong to Iran.
Iran, on the other hand, has time and again reiterated that the three islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf are inseparable parts of its territory and their status is not open to any negotiations.
In reaction to the joint statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday reaffirmed that the three islands in the Persian Gulf are eternal parts of the country’s territory, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic will never compromise on its territorial integrity.
“The islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf are inseparable parts of the pure land of Iran and belong to this motherland forever,” Amir-Abdollahian said in a post on his Twitter account.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also on Monday reaffirmed its traditionally friendly relations with Iran, saying Beijing’s ties with Tehran and its relations with the GCC states do not target any third party.