TEHRAN - Defense Minister Amir Hatami said on Friday that the United States’ “illegal” and “aggressive” presence in the Persian Gulf has weakened security in the region.

“It is the United States’ illegal and aggressive presence that weaken security in the Persian Gulf region. They [the U.S.] has come near Iran’s borders from other end of the world and make unfounded claims,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a parade held to mark the National Army Day.

He added, “The Iranian people are insightful and know who is right. We are in our home and they have come from other end of the world to cause problems for the regional countries through threats and sanctions.”

U.S. Navy issued a statement on Wednesday claiming that 11 Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps boats had closed in on up to six U.S. naval vessels in the Persian Gulf “in dangerous and harassing approaches”.

The statement also said the incident took place in the “northern Arabian Gulf”, a historically flawed and provocative expression commonly adopted by anti-Iran groups instead of “Persian Gulf” term, according to Press TV.

In a tweet on Thursday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reminded Washington that by its presence in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy is 7,000 miles away from home.

He mentioned a 2-year-old tweet of himself that read, “US Navy can’t seem to find its way around our waters. Perhaps because it hasn’t figured out its name: Persian Gulf, as it's been called for 2,000 yrs longer than US has existed.”

NA/PA