Commander Stresses IRGC’s Full Control over US Navy in Persian Gulf

Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi stressed his forces domination and control over the US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, and said that the American naval forces need IRGC’s permission for any move in the regional waters.

“Today, Americans admit and acknowledge that the Persian Gulf is under the tight control of the IRGC Navy,” Fadavi said on Tuesday.

“This doesn’t mean inspection (of their ships), but controlling (them). That is to say, they should receive our permission and account to us for any move they want to make,” he explained.

Last week, another commander of the IRGC said that all vessels, including the US warships, enter the Persian Gulf waters through the Strait of Hormuz only after they are checked by the IRGC naval forces.

“The alien vessels which enter the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz always provide the needed answers and information to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) units,” Lieutenant Commander of the IRGC Navy Alireza Tangsiri said on Wednesday.

He further noted the deployment of a US aircraft carrier in the region, and said, “This vessel, similar to the other warships, answered all the questions asked by the IRGC Navy without any problem or making any particular move and then continued the path to its specified destination.”

The remarks by the Iranian commanders came as the US launched a propaganda campaign through a number of western media outlets about the deployment of the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise along with the Abraham Lincoln carrier in waters near the Persian Gulf, implying that their deployment means a fortification of the US military presence in the region against Iran.

The US says that the deployment is “routine” and the two carriers will support the American military operations in Afghanistan and anti-piracy efforts off Somalia’s coast and in the Gulf of Aden.