“By tapping into the capabilities and technical expertise of our domestic elite, we will move toward production of speed vessels that can travel at the speed of 100 knots [per hour] in the near future,” Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, IRGC Navy commander told reporters in the northern city of Rasht on Wednesday, Presstv Reported.

“Today, marine vessels that cruise at 90knots/h will be unveiled,” IRGC Navy commander added.

Over the past years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing military equipment and hardware despite sanctions and economic pressures on the country.

The Islamic Republic maintains that its military power poses no threat to other countries and is merely attentive to its military doctrine of deterrence.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the senior commander pointed to the presence of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf, noting outsiders have brought about nothing but insecurity to the region.

“They (foreigners) seek to give legitimacy to their illegitimate presence under the pretext of establishing security, and on the other hand they need to wage wars to sell their arms,” Rear admiral Tangsiri said.

He stressed that the job of safeguarding the security of the Persian Gulf rested with the regional countries only.

“We have repeatedly sent this message to the Persian Gulf littoral states that this region belongs to all neighbors, and we are capable of providing security [of the region] through solidarity among the littoral states,” he added.

Last month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proposed an initiative, dubbed Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE), aimed at promoting peace and stability for the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz through cooperation among Iran and other regional countries.

In an address to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, President Rouhani said the “coalition of hope” entails different sectors such as “cooperation in providing collective energy security, freedom of navigation and free flow of oil and other [energy] resources from and to the countries off the Strait of Hormuz and beyond that.”

He said the US has no business and is not welcome in the region and must leave it, stressing that the security of the Persian Gulf can be ensured only by neighbors not outsiders.

Rouhani’s initiative comes in response to US efforts to build up military presence in the Persian Gulf. The United States began trying to persuade its allies into a maritime coalition purportedly seeking to boost security in the Persian Gulf, after it blamed Tehran for two separate attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in May and June, without providing any credible evidence to back up the allegation, which Iran has categorically rejected.

Iran has repeatedly warned that it would react to any attempt to undermine the security of the region or to make it difficult for the country to export its oil.

Iran Army ready to counter threats at all levels

Separately on Wednesday, the chief commander of Iran’s Army said the country is ready to counter any threat posed by enemies at any level.

“We are ready to counter threats posed by enemies at any level,” Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said on the sidelines of unannounced military drills near the Turkish border aimed at evaluating the Army’s combat readiness in the northwestern parts of the country.

The senior commander said that the drills sent the message to all that the Iranian Armed Forces stand fully ready to repel any possible threat by enemies.

“The message of the maneuver for enemies is that if they make any miscalculations they must know that the children of this land are prepared to resist [their act of aggression] with full power anywhere at any time,” he said.