IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – There is no place for American forces in the region anymore, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said.

“Today, the era of American free action in the region is over, and they (U.S. forces) must leave the region gradually,” Rear Admiral Khanzadi told reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of a joint naval exercise of Iran, Russia and China, which is underway in the Sea of Oman and the northern parts of the Indian Ocean.

“We believe that regional security does not require the presence of those (foreign) countries, and that regional countries themselves can ensure security together,” he added.

The Iranian Navy commander also expressed hope that more regional states would join Iran in the efforts to ensure security.

“We believe that maritime security definitely needs collective action,” Khanzadi added.

He went on to say that friends of Iran and those favoring regional security have welcomed the joint naval drill, while the U.S. and its proxies who seek to impose inappropriate security arrangements on the region would receive “significant messages” from the war game.

The various phases of the tactical exercises have been carried out in this maneuver successfully till now, he said.

Iran believes that maritime security is an issue that needs to be worked on collectively by countries with maritime capacity, he added.

Noting a new level of the development of relations and cooperation between the three countries of Iran, Russia, and China at their highest level is being displayed, Khanzadi said holding such military drills which are aimed at providing security in the region indicates that the participant countries have cooperated well in other aspects of politics, economics, and so on.

Referring to close cooperation of these three Asian civilizational powers, Navy Commander noted that they set the bold lines for both the region and the world by showing their cooperation not in a separate movement but in a coalition.

The security of the region will be certainly provided by regional countries, he said, adding that Iran invites all the countries of the region to join this regional convergence and coalition for the next time.

Regional countries and our friends enthusiastically followed the joint military drills, he added, saying that good media coverage came from both inside and outside the country.

The joint drill, which is the first of such cooperation with Iran since the 1979 victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution with two major world naval powers at this scale showed that the efforts, investment, and sanctions for isolating Iran have not only worked but have also led to the convergence and unity of regional powers, he added.

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Iran manufactures drones as a low-cost piece of military equipment to keep watch on the region, he said.

The admiral also said the Islamic Republic is monitoring U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf and has a large archive of moment-by-moment movements of vessels belonging to the U.S. and its allies.

“We can bravely declare that we observe all enemy ships, particularly Americans, point-by-point from their starting point until the moment they enter the region,” he said.

He added that the Iranian armed forces also possess information about the type of their missions and their conduct in the region.

He also censured the British seizure of an oil tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4, adding that the era of “bullying” in the sea is over, and that the interests and sovereignty of all nations should be respected.

Pointing to the June 19 unsafe maneuver by the British-flagged Stena Impero tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, which led to its detention by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Khanzadi said the British tanker violated Iranian and international maritime law, entered the Strait of Hormuz from a busy exit lane, turned off its trackers, and had incomplete documents.

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“Sahand Destroyer and Fateh Submarine are to be unveiled over the next week,” Khanzadi told a news conference, Fars reported.

The destroyer could carry large helicopters, missile defense systems and fighter jets, he stated.

He added that the indigenously manufactured medium-class submarine would surprise the Islamic Republic’s enemies with its special capabilities.

The commander also hailed increasing coordination between the Navy and Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

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 Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, underlining that the Strait of Hormuz is a part of Iran’s security and national interests, said “US will not play a role in the decision over the Strait of Hormuz; Iran’s move is only dependent on the order of Leader of Islamic Revolution.”

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