TEHRAN -- Iran’s most senior military commander said Monday the “enemies” endanger the safety of navigation by launching and sending small unmanned reconnaissance maritime drones.
Major General Muhammad Baqeri, the chief of staff for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic, made the remarks referring to a series of encounters between Iranian and United States naval forces last week.
“Enemies are trying to compensate for the reduction of force in the Middle East by creating new units,” he said, adding that “They endanger maritime security by dispatching small unmanned surveillance drones, but the armed forces’ response to vessels wandering in open waters will be decisive.”
He also touched on the occupying regime of Israel joining the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), calling it a “threat” to the region.
“The presence of Israel in the region is illegitimate. It not only does nothing to help the regional security, but also foments insecurity,” he said.
“We do not tolerate the presence of the Zionist regime,” Gen. Baqeri said, noting that “We will not make any compromises regarding the rights of the Iranian nation and the security of our seas and lands..
Iran seized and released two American sea drones in the Red Sea on Friday. Later in the day, U.S. officials confirmed that that Iran returned the two captured maritime drones but claimed that the unmanned vessels were missing their cameras.
Iran’s Nour News website, close to the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), shed light on the circumstances surrounding the brief seizures, saying the measure was taken to prevent possible maritime incidents and safeguard shipping lanes.
Nour News reported that the IRGC naval forces took “timely action” earlier in the day to seize the U.S. vessel, whose “navigational system had failed,” and began towing it with the aim of supporting safe and secure shipping in the Persian Gulf.
The Navy’s Jamaran destroyer encountered the “data collecting” vessels during a routine operation aimed at securing shipping routes and confronting piracy and maritime terrorism, the Navy said in a statement on Thursday.