TEHRAN - Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, the Commander of the Iranian Navy, has mocked Israeli war minister Benny Gantz’s remarks about Iran’s naval presence in the Red Sea, emphasizing that Iran’s Navy will be present anywhere it chooses or deems essential.

“It seems Israelis were in a deep sleep and woke up very late. Our presence in the Red Sea is nothing new,” Rear Admiral Irani underlined.
 
He continued that Iran will unquestionably be present wherever that it desires or considers essential, in addition to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

In July, Gantz described Iran as a "danger" to international trade. He claimed that Iran was "methodically basing itself in the Red Sea, with its ships monitoring the Southern region."

“It’s been two decades that we have been constantly present in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, and I need to remind Gantz that it’s not bad if he studies history a little bit and increases his military knowledge,” the Iranian commander underlined.

He added, “We crossed the Suez Canal in three stages, which means we were not just present in the Red Sea but in the Mediterranean as well, and we will be there again.”

Irani asserted that Iran, like other countries, has a variety of nautical interests, the most fundamental of which is to assist its ships, oil tankers, and sailors as they navigate international waterways.

He continued, “Iran's naval forces have engaged in over 276 instances of direct confrontations aimed at saving ships from pirates or maritime terrorism, for which the Islamic Republic has been praised by international institutions. Of course, they care less whether the vessels in danger are Iranian or not when it comes to the issue of security provision.”

“Iran will always maintain presence in international waters to safeguard the security of its cargo vessels and oil tankers,” the Navy chief emphasized. According to him, Iran is the only regional country which carries out such a significant job independently in the sanction conditions and provision of Iran’s economic security in the seas is the most important mission of the naval forces.

In mid-April, Rear Admiral Irani remarked that the existence of the trans-regional troops is unjustified since the regional governments can create security on their own.

“Our message to trans-regional and non-friendly countries is that enough power exists in our region, and there is no justification for their presence in the waters of this region,” the top commander added.

He further emphasized that no nation has dared to approach Iran's territorial waters because of Iranian naval forces' dominance and presence on the high seas and in the oceans.

“Our interests and resources in the sea are very vast, and wherever we feel threatened, our fleet is present. Due to the authority and presence of the Iranian Navy in the seas and oceans and continuous monitoring, no country has dared to approach the country's territorial waters,” the rear admiral underlined. 
He emphasized that it is critical to be cautious against the enemy' plots.