TEHRAN – An Iranian military official has said that the Iranian navy will maintain regular missions in the Persian Gulf.

“The naval units of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will continue their regular missions in accordance with professional principles as in the past,” the official told Nour News on Wednesday.

The comments came after the United States’ Navy issued a warning on Tuesday to mariners in the Persian Gulf to stay away from U.S. warships.

According to Reuters, in an alert that appeared aimed squarely at Iran, the U.S. Navy issued a warning on Tuesday to mariners in the Persian Gulf to stay 100 meters (yards) away from U.S. warships or risk being “interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures.”

The notice to mariners, which was first reported by Reuters, follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass Navy vessels.

It follows an incident last month in which 11 Iranian vessels came close to U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Persian Gulf in what the U.S. military called “dangerous and provocative” behavior. Tehran blamed the U.S. for the incident.

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) refuted the U.S. narration, saying the U.S. navy gave a "Hollywood version of events" over the petrol of the Iranian vessels.

However, the IRGC said it had increased patrols in the Persian Gulf after the U.S. navy blocked the path of an Iranian ship earlier that month.
The IRGC's statement said that U.S. forces had blocked one of its ships in two separate incidents in early April, using "dangerous behavior while ignoring warnings".

NA/PA