TEHRAN – A top Iranian military commander has dismissed as untrue the claims by the U.S. that an American warship was harassed by Iranian boats in the Persian Gulf earlier this month, saying Iran acted according to international law.

“Iranian vessels are fully aware of international laws and regulations, so the claims are not only untrue, but stem from their fear of the power of Iranian soldiers,” Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, said on Sunday.

The Pentagon last week said seven fast-attack boats of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) approached the USS Firebolt on September 4 with their machine guns uncovered, though not trained on the Americans.

It was the fifth incident that the Pentagon claimed has happened in the past month, with U.S. military increasingly criticizing the Iranian military for its actions in the Persian Gulf.

However, Brigadier General Jazayeri said the remarks were exaggerated, IRNA reported.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Jazayeri underscored Iran’s right to safeguard its sea borders and economic interests, saying that the Iranian naval units will never be deterred by the media propaganda posed against the country.

“Whenever the Iranian vessels pass by their ships at a distance of several kilometers, Americans claim that Iranian vessels have approached them within a range of one kilometer,” the senior commander added.

Jazayeri also said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will never be “influenced” by any power.

MH/PA