Commander Sees Persian Gulf as Battlefield of Possible Iran-US War

Lieutenant Commander of Basij (volunteer) Forces Brigadier General Ali Fazli underlined that the Persian Gulf will be the scene of any possible direct confrontation between Iran and the US, adding that Washington has earlier experienced failure against Tehran in this region.
“The US has always tasted defeat and withdrawal in the Persian Gulf’s waters and has directly witnessed the bravery and prowess of the Muslim fighters; therefore, it hasn’t and doesn’t dare even to leer down the Islamic Iran’s holy borders,” Fazli said in the Southern city of Bandar Abbas on Tuesday.

He described the Persian Gulf as the battlefield of any possible war that may break out between Iran and the US.

In relevant remarks in April, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps reiterated the IRGC’s upper hand in the Persian Gulf, and said Iran monitors all the moves made by the regional and trans-regional naval forces in the region.

“The IRGC Navy fully monitors all moves in the Persian Gulf and we have proved our might and power in our naval patrols in the Persian Gulf,” Commander of the IRGC’s Second Naval Zone General Ali Razmjou said.

“The IRGC Navy, specially the Second Naval Zone, has the most advanced defensive weapons and technical equipment, and more importantly it has devoted and sincere human resources,” he added.

Razmjou said that the IRGC forces are always ready to devote their lives on the path of the Islamic Revolution causes, adding that this is not a claim and has many times been proven in practice.

The IRGC was appointed to defend the Persian Gulf security in 2008. The Iranian army has been tasked with controlling the Sea of Oman and the Caspian Sea, while the full responsibility for defending the Persian Gulf security has been entrusted to the IRGC.

The Iranian Army Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy have tight cooperation in controlling the country’s waterways and protecting Iran’s interests inside territorial waters and in the high seas.

Iran’s naval power has even been acknowledged even by the foes. In a Sep. 11, 2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the Islamic Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.

According to the report, Iran’s Navy has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world’s oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.