Iran can hit back at US warship in PG

A top military adviser to the Leader of Islamic Ummah and Opressed People says US warships in the Persian Gulf waters are within the reach of the country’s defense systems.

Speaking at this week’s Friday Prayers, Brigadier General Yahya Rahim-Safavi said Iran’s 2,000 km long coastal strip along the Persian Gulf allows the country to target any hostile navel activity in the area.

“Every American warship is within the reach of our armed forces’ surface-to-sea missiles,” Rahim Safavi said, suggesting that the consequences of a strike against Iran would be different from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Sixty-five percent of the world’s oil [shipments] passes through the Persian Gulf,” he added.

Amid a standoff over Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran has repeatedly warned that it will retaliate if Iranian cargo ships come under inspection or its nuclear facilities are attacked.

Iranian officials reject Western accusations that Tehran is pursuing a military nuclear program, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear energy.

On June 9, the UN Security Council imposed a US-engineered sanctions resolution targeting Iranian financial and military sectors, with a section subjecting ship departing or en route to Iran open to inspections.

The former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) went on to slam the desecration of the Holy Qur’an on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the US.