The Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has dismissed claims there have been threats to Iran’s commercial shipping activities, saying ships owned or operated by the country are sailing safely in international waters thanks to the protection provided by the Iranian military forces.
Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said in remarks published on Wednesday that Iranian military forces are completely ready to face any maritime threats affecting the fleet of cargo and commercial ships of the country.
Tangsiri was speaking to the semi-official IRNA news agency and in response to a question whether Iranian ships have been facing threats in international waters amid heightened tensions between Iran and the Israeli regime because of the ongoing regional conflicts.
He said Iranian military forces continue to escort the country’s cargo and commercial ships.
“Thanks to God, today (Iran’s) shipping lanes enjoy absolute security and this is a sign of the readiness of the armed forces in the sea,” said the senior IRGC commander.
He also reiterated that no alien ships have entered Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
“There is absolute security in the Persian Gulf. There are movements (of ships) but not of the type that can disrupt our security,” he said.
The comments come nearly two months after Iran launched extensive missile attacks on the Israeli regime to respond to its sabotage operations in Iran and its acts of aggression against Palestine and Lebanon.
Israel responded by firing a limited number of missiles at Iran’s military sites, most of which were shot down by the Iranian air defenses.
Iran has said it will respond to Israel’s latest attacks at a time and manner of its choosing.