The IRGC Navy said in a statement on Tuesday that IRGC boats did not act unprofessionally and while they were conducting a regular and conventional operation, they encountered seven American Navy vessels committing “provocative, gratuitous and unprofessional behaviors such as flying helicopters, firing flares and aimless shooting.”

The statement said the IRGC boats maintained a legal distance from the American vessels in accordance with international maritime regulations and warned them against “dangerous and unprofessional behavior.”

The IRGC Navy statement came a day after Pentagon press secretary John Kirby accused Iran of committing “harassment” against the American navy in the Strait of Hormuz. Kirby claimed that the Iranian vessels maneuvered at high speed toward six U.S. Navy ships in the Strait. According to Kirby, the encounter led to a U.S. Coast Guard cutter firing two volleys of warning shots as Iranian boats sped toward the U.S. vessels.

But the IRGC statement said Kirby’s account of the encounter was “untrue” and aimed to create a perception of American responsibility toward preventing miscalculations.

“The Americans must avoid untrue stories and unprofessional behaviors and seriously abide by international regulations as well as the maritime and band control laws in the strategic region of the Hormuz Strait and the Persian Gulf,” the statement said.

The IRGC Navy also said it will continue its missions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf and it is ready to “decisively and courageously respond to any miscalculations on their [Americans] part.”

The Monday encounter also elicited a response from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who asked the U.S. Coast Guard that whose coast they are supposed to guard.

“@USCG: Exactly whose coast are you supposed to be ‘guarding’?” he asked on Twitter.

Zarif’s tweet reflects a longstanding Iranian policy that the U.S. should move away from the West Asia region, especially the Persian Gulf where the U.S. has deployed a remarkable number of military assets. Iran has called on the Persian Gulf’s Arab states to enter dialogue on how to secure the region’s security without the presence of foreign military troops. To this end, Iran has presented the Hormuz Peace Endeavor, an initiative aimed at maintaining security in the Persian Gulf through cooperation among its littoral states.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is conducting large-scale aerial and naval drills off the strategic Strait of Hormuz and in the Persian Gulf, with the country’s first domestic multi-purpose satellite monitoring the process.

According to the IRGC’s Sepah News, the final phase of the exercises, codenamed Payambar-e A’zam (The Great Prophet) 14, kicked off on Tuesday across land, air and sea in the general area of Hormozgan Province, west of the Hormuz Strait and in the Persian Gulf.

Several units from IRGC’s Navy and Aerospace Division are taking part in the maneuvers, which feature missiles, vessels, drones, and radars, and are designed to practice both offensive and defensive missions.

The IRGC forces are slated to conduct missile, drone and mine-planting operations against mock enemy targets during the drills. They are also scheduled to practice tactics to cut off the connection lines of enemy vessels.

Meanwhile, combat helicopters will target enemy positions with coast-to-sea missiles.

Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, the maneuvers’ spokesman, said during the exercises, “the interception of ballistic and cruise missiles has been drilled, while surprising weapons and hardware — including long-range ballistic missiles capable of striking intruding vessels floating at a distance — are being used.”

For the first time, the drills are being monitored by Iran’s Nour-1 (Light-1) Satellite, which was put into orbit on April 22.

Nour-1 is the country’s first multi-purpose satellite with application in the defense industry, among other areas.

The launch operation was carried out by the IRGC’s Aerospace Division, which said the country’s aerospace program was expected to gather pace following the launch.

Meanwhile Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami said the force improves its weaponry considering the strengths and weaknesses of the enemies.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of an IRGC military exercise, titled as the Great Prophet-14 military drill, in Strait of Hormuz.

“Our policies for safeguarding the interests of the Iranian nation is defensive meaning that we will not attack any country,” he said noting that however, the forces are offensive in their operations and tactics.

“Our defense doctrine relies on the manufacturing indigenous equipment. In each military exercise, the quality of the equipment is upgraded and the new equipment is tested and used in the real battlefield,” he said.

The IRGC commander noted that the drill has been started to ensure the body’s capability in protecting the benefits of the Iranian nation.

He added that the enemies’ naval flotilla will be invaded if they pose a threat against Iran.

As reported, ‘surprising weapons’ such long-range ballistic missiles have been launched during the named military drill in the south of Iran, which is jointly being carried out by IRGC Navy and Aerospace.

The military exercise is based upon plans for fighting hybrid warfare and network-oriented combats proportional to the IRGC’s offense doctrine.

IRGC Navy’s missile, vessel, and drones units and IRGC Aerospace’s missile, drone, were radar units conducted operations.

Waging attacks against virtual enemy using missiles, ships, and drones, laying defensive mines, cutting the communication between virtual enemy’s ships, launching rockets from helicopters, and launching coast-to-sea missiles were among agenda of this stage of the drill.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani says the national pipeline project launched on Thursday to carry oil as an alternative route for the Strait of Hormuz serves as an important message to those that have imposed sanctions on the country.

President Rouhani said other countries in the region have also developed alternative methods of supplying oil should the Strait of Hormuz become unsafe one day for exporting crude.

“Many regional countries managed to find a second way to export oil in case it would be risky one day to export crude via the Strait of Hormuz. Alternative methods could be exporting oil through the Red Sea, the Sea of Oman or the Mediterranean,” said the president at a ceremony where operational work got underway for three major projects of the Iranian Oil Ministry.

The projects included a major pipeline that connects Goreh in the west of Persian Gulf to Jask Port in its east, making the country independent of Strait of Hormuz for oil exports.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran was the only country whose oil exports would be completely halted if the Strait of Hormuz were closed one day for some reason,” he said, indicating that the problem is solved now that a pipeline is being constructed in the south of the country as an alternative way for the Strait of Hormuz to export oil.

“This is the most important project, not only from an economic point of view, but also in terms of national security, economic security and energy security,” he said.

“With the pipeline taking oil to [the port of] Jask going into service in March 2021, hopefully some one million barrels of crude will be exported from this port,” he noted.

“Jask will turn into Iran’s key hub of oil exports,” said the president.

He said the inauguration of major national projects is a very strong message to the Americans as well as adversaries of Iran and those who have imposed sanctions on this country.

“The enemies should know that their attempts are futile and will get nowhere, and we will press ahead with our projects and important national objectives without even one minute of delay,” he said.

Referring to Iran’s southern neighbors, and their projects to skirt the Strait of Hormuz, Rouhani noted that the only country “left in the middle” was the Islamic Republic.

“If the Strait of Hormuz closed for any reason, Iran would be the only country in the region that its oil exports would be completely stopped,” Rouhani said.

Rouhani went further by describing the project as unique, “This pipeline through which we will be transporting our oil to Jask and the Sea of Oman is a great, huge and unique work in the history of Iran.”

The project’s start was announced six years ago and less than half the pipeline network has been complete according to Rouhani. However, experts told Radio Farda that sending oil through the pipeline needs large investments for powerful pumping stations; a task Iran cannot easily complete facing severe technology and banking sanctions.

Despite repeatedly threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, Rouhani last year insisted that Tehran would guarantee to keep it open.

In the meantime, he dismissed calls for closing the waterway as a dangerous “slogan”, asserting that blocking the Strait of Hormuz could backfire and create enormous problems for Iran.

The new terminal is close to the port of Chabahar on the Sea of Oman, which Iran is developing in cooperation with other countries, most notably India.

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In recent weeks, Persian Gulf has experienced very perilous days because of the U.S. forces, deployed on the warships and frigates in the region.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

Reacting to the U.S. forces, and President Donald Trump’s bluff-like remarks who said  he had ordered the American military to shoot and destroy any Iranian vessels that harass U.S. navy ships, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a statement described the presence of the U.S. military in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman as a breach of security in the region, stressing that the formation of void U.S.-led coalitions under the pretext of maintaining ship security is not only not helping, but also a dangerous move that disrupts peace and security of the region at the same time.

The statement said the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, as important international waterways and major economic hubs, have always been safe paths for the movement of oil and merchant ships, and they have enjoyed the necessary security all through the past years. In this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in cooperation with the countries of the region, has tried to maintain stability and calm at an acceptable level.

All neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf are fully aware that disruptive and provocative military operations, combat exercises, shooting, territorial aggression, unnecessary inspections of ships and vessels, imposing psychological insecurity on fishermen and traders, preparing grounds for freedom of action for smugglers, polluting the marine environment and endangering marine aquatic life by the use of nuclear propulsion is only part of the risky and unconventional measures of the U.S. Navy in the region are against the customary international law.

It also said Iran has sounded necessary warnings to the U.S. to put an end to its provocative moves and adventurism which their presence in the region obstructs peace and stability and spreads tension and insecurity. It warned them that any provocative act and conflict in the current condition is considered against the international rules and regulations.

This adventurism and tension in the region by the U.S. comes at the time Americans have repeatedly experienced Iran’s defensive capabilities and its didactical responses.

One unlikely finds any adventurism by the U.S. forces in the region which has not faced a final crushing blow. 2877 days of the Sacred Defense ended in grandeur and victory of Islam and Iran in the region. The fiasco of downing Iranian passenger plane over the Persian Gulf unmasked the U.S. in the region as bloodthirsty even assassination of martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and his comrades portrayed a disgraceful and hateful face of the U.S. in the region so that even American Democrat Senator Chris Murphy on January 3 and after the assassination of Martyr Soleimani said that Soleimani’s martyrdom could be more dangerous to the U.S.

Now we should ask us this question whether Martyr Soleimani’s being alive has been more dangerous or his martyrdom. On Iran’s new launch of satellite into orbit, Murphy says “The launch of military satellite is a proof that Trump’s Iran policy just strengthens Iran and causes them to act more aggressively. In virtually every way, Iran is stronger today in the Middle East [West Asia], and America is weaker than 4 years ago.”

Although the U.S. whose troops on the warships are currently infected with the Coronavirus, it does not stop its wickedness and creates tension in the Persian Gulf.

It seems that as most media outlets in the world have predicted and revealed both explicitly or implicitly that the U.S. would suffer casualties in the region, they have not said much nonsense. There is a proverb in Arabic language which says “Whoever tried the tried would repent having tried.”

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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In an interview with the IRIB on Monday, Mohammad Rastad said that security in the region must be maintained by the regional countries.

Rastad also said, “The Iranian delegation will stress that the United States, as a member state to the International Maritime Organization, has created limitations for Iran through sanctions and has threatened other countries to cut cooperation with Iran.”

The behavior of the U.S. is against the IMO convention, he lamented.

The summit was scheduled to open on November 25 and end on December 4 in London.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi announced on Monday that three countries have accepted to join Iran’s Hormuz peace initiative.

“Three countries have given written response to Iran’s invitation and other countries are studying it,” Mousavi told a regular press briefing.

He did not name the countries.

At the United Nations summit in New York in late September, Iran officially unveiled a proposal for regional security, officially called the Hormuz Peace Endeavour (HOPE).

“Based upon the historical responsibility of my country in maintaining security, peace, stability and progress in the Persian Gulf region and Strait of Hormuz, I would like to invite all the countries directly affected by the developments in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to the ‘Coalition for Hope’, meaning Hormuz Peace Endeavor,” President Hassan Rouhani told the UN delegates.

Foreign Minister Zarif has invited all regional states to join Iran’s initiative for securing the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

In a tweet in September, Zarif said the initiative entails “dialogue, confidence-building, freedom of navigation, energy security, non-aggression, and non-intervention”.

In a post on his Twitter account on October 15, Zarif renewed Iran’s call to all countries bordering the Persian Gulf to join Tehran’s initiative to “forge a blueprint for peace, security, stability, and prosperity” in the region.

In his press briefing, the Foreign Ministry spokesman called on certain Persian Gulf Arab states to abandon reliance on foreign forces for their security, saying dependence on foreigners is just an “illusion”

“We called on the countries to respond to Iran’s peace-seeking call and abandon illusions. We have stressed that presence of foreign countries undermines security and stability. We hope this initiative of Iran would face with positive response in IMO summit,” Mousavi stated.

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For too long now there has been mistrust, acrimony and conflict in the community around the Strait of Hormuz. For too long, states have armed themselves and invaded, bombed or embargoed each other. For too long, foreign forces have come to our region to project their power, not to protect our people. And for too long our peoples have suffered.

We can, collectively, choose to remain on this path of instability and tension, and await the unknown. Or, we can instead choose peace, security, stability and prosperity for all. In late September, Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani proposed the latter at the UN General Assembly, unveiling what he called the Hormuz Peace Endeavor (Hope). The UN was given a mandate in 1987 to furnish the necessary umbrella for such a regional arrangement.

Iran is trying to provide a solution to what appears — but in fact is not — an intractable problem. There are competing interests and ideologies, disparities in size, resources and capabilities, and distrust among the states in strait of Hormuz that are most affected by developments in the area: Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

To be successful, this effort requires universal observance of the purposes and principles of the UN charter. We will all need to commit to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the inviolability of our international borders, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. We should categorically reject any threat or use of force or participation in coalitions against each other. Considering the obvious disparities in size and resources, we must commit to mutual respect, mutual interest, and equal footing in all aspects of our relations and interactions.

We must build consensus at various levels about the parameters of the Hormuz Peace Endeavour, and then collectively launch and implement it. So Iran proposes setting up meetings of experts, think-tanks, the private sector, senior officials, ministers and heads of state to deliberate on common objectives.

These meetings can help articulate a collective approach to opportunities and challenges such as energy security and freedom of navigation for all. We must also promote arms control and security building measures, the establishment of a zone that is free of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the prevention and resolution of regional conflicts. We can begin with — or work towards — the signing of a Hormuz Community Non-Intervention and Non-Aggression Pact.

We can set up joint task forces to come up with practical steps towards these objectives and gradually build confidence and expand co-operation. These task forces can develop mechanisms and procedures for co-operation on common security and regional conflict prevention and resolution. They can include hotlines, early warning systems, military contacts and the exchange of data and information. Another task force could bring us together in order to combat the drug trade, terrorism and human trafficking.

Nothing builds greater confidence than close interaction among peoples and businesses. A task force can be mandated to promote joint investments and ventures in oil, gas, energy and transit and transport. Academics and prominent thinkers can also work together to expand cultural co-operation, interfaith dialogue and tourism. Scientific co-operation could include the exchange of scholars and students, and joint scientific and technological projects.

Relevant experts can propose joint efforts to address vital issues of cyber security, nuclear safety, and protecting the environment — particularly the marine environment. Co-operation on humanitarian issues, such as the treatment of migrants, refugees and displaced persons can be promoted by bringing together relevant agencies within a humanitarian task force.

I invite my colleagues in the leaderships of other regional states in strait of Hormuz, and in the academic and diplomatic communities, to join us in forging a blueprint for peace, security, stability and prosperity.

We all have grievances about the past. Iran, after eight years of regionally financed aggression and 40 years of foreign-sponsored attacks and separatism, has much to complain about.

But as the great poet and sage Rumi wrote 800 years ago: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

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In remarks released on Friday, Rastad pointed to a recent initiative by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for regional security, known as the “Hormuz Peace Endeavor” and said, “The international waterways of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are one of the safest maritime routes due to the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Navy.”

“For many years, we managed to ensure the security of our waterways,” he said, adding that annually, 55,000 oceangoing vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz in complete safety and security.

The waterways has become secure due to the power of the Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), he went on to say.

The official went on to say that if the responsibility for the regional security is handed over to regional countries, there would be no challenges but the challenge begins when foreign countries interfere in the region.

Rouhani presented the Hormuz peace initiative while delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly last week and invited all regional countries to participate in it.

“The initiative is based on the fact that all regional countries are duty-bound to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Together with the international community, they have common interests in maintaining freedom of navigation and energy transfer,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a UN Security Council meeting on September 25.

These regional efforts are necessary to prevent war, conflict, violence, extremism, terrorism and sectarian tensions, Zarif said, adding that Tehran’s proposal was aimed at enhancing solidarity, mutual understanding as well as peaceful and friendly relations between countries in the region in order to guarantee the territorial integrity and political independence of regional states.

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Wherever Americans have set foot, they increased insecurity, as it was proved in cases of Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.

The Iranian president noted that he is going to present an initiative in the UN General Assembly this week which will guarantee the security of the Persian Gulf and Hormuz Strait with the cooperation of regional states.

Then addressing those who claim to be worried about security in the Middle East, Rouhani said “If they are telling the truth, they’d better not turn the region into a stage of arms race … if they are after [establishing] security, they’d better get out of the region.”

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“This release is not being made because of any third party’s mediation,” he highlighted.

On July 19, IRGC detained the British-flagged ship, Stena Impero, in the Strait of Hormuz for failing to respect international maritime rules.

In early September, Iran announced the release of the ship’s seven crew members on ‘humanitarian grounds’.

Tehran has repeatedly said that the country’s Judiciary branch should decide on the fate of Stena Impero.

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