Iran to respond in kind to any US provocation in Persian Gulf: Judiciary chief

The Iranian judiciary chief has said that the country’s armed forces will respond in kind to any US provocation in the Persian Gulf.

Speaking during a joint armed forces ceremony at an Iranian airbase in the southwestern Bushehr province on Friday, Ebrahim Raeisi said the Persian Gulf has to remain secure for Iran “at all times”.

If the Americans “seek measures in the Persian Gulf that in any way signal an attack or a threatening and destabilizing action… our powerful armed forces will force them to surrender or to find themselves at the depths of the Persian Gulf,” Raeisi said.

The judiciary chief added that Iran’s military is regarded around the world as a self-sufficient and competent force which has proven itself in cases such as the downing of the US RQ-4A Global Hawk spy drone last June.

Raeisi added that Iran’s military and advisory presence in the region has also served as a bulwark against US and European plots in the region.

“Today, not only in Iran, but people across the region feel secure due to our presence and our support against the American aggression,” he added.

Earlier last year, Washington called for the formation of a so-called maritime coalition in response to a series of mysterious explosions targeting vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

US-led Persian Gulf naval coalition launches operations in BahrainThe so-called US-led military coalition in the Persian Gulf has officially commenced its operations.

Washington, which was quick to blame Iran for the incidents without providing conclusive evidence, has since deployed thousands of additional troops and millions of dollars worth of military equipment in certain regional states.

Riyadh pays $500 million to cover cost of US troops’ presence in Saudi Arabia: ReportSaudi Arabia has reportedly paid $500 million to cover the costs of the American troops’ operation in the kingdom.

A number of European states, such as France and Britain, have announced plans for future naval deployments in the region.

Iran, which has soundly rejected the provocative foreign deployments, has stressed that only regional cooperation can ensure security in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.

Tensions have since further increased after Washington assassinated top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani during an official visit to Iraq in January 3.

Iran retaliated a few days later, launching a volley of ballistic missiles at the Ain al-Assad airbase and another US-occupied outpost in Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Trump administration, which had initially vowed a severe response to any Iranian retaliation, sought to play down the attack and claimed that its forces had suffered no casualties in the attack.

The Pentagon has since, however, gradually revealed figures of troops which have suffered “brain injuries” in the Iranian attack.

US brain injury numbers cover-up for dead US troops in Iranian missile strike: IRGCThe IRGC says Washington’s alleged numbers regarding “brain injuries” in troops represent US troop deaths.

US ‘weary’ of Iranian confrontation

Earlier this week, the Associated Press reported what it described as an “uneasy quiet” for US forces following Iran’s missile strikes.

The report cited US Central Command commander General Frank McKenzie saying that Washington is uncertain how future events may unfold in the Middle East and that Washington needs to accumulate “military might” in the region as it fears possible confrontation with Iran.

The report described how McKenzie has requested a “much larger than usual naval presence” in the region, shifting naval assets from other locations to the Middle east despite the US Navy’s need to deploy against naval powers such as Russia and China.

According to observers, Iran’s rare and direct attack against US bases last month served to showcase part of Tehran’s military capability to counter US military presence in the region.