Iran has naval supremacy over Strait of Hormuz: admiral
January 15, 2012 - 18:32
TEHRAN – The commander of the Iranian Navy says Iran has always had naval supremacy over the Strait of Hormuz and will not allow the arrogant powers and the Zionist regime to create tension in the region.
Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari also rejected Western governments’ claim that Iran’s military might is a threat to the peace and security of the region, saying Iran’s neighbors know that this claim is totally false.
The Iranian Navy is ready to hold joint war games with regional countries, he told IRNA in an interview published on Sunday.
The Navy staged the 10-day Velayat-90 war games near the Strait of Hormuz in late December. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Naval Force also plans to hold a similar drill in the Persian Gulf and the strait in the near future.
IRGC Deputy Commander Brigadier General Hossein Salami announced on January 1 that the Strait of Hormuz is part of Iran’s “geographical defensive strategy.”
----Iran has upper hand in the strait
IRGC Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri also said on Sunday that the United States knows that it cannot confront Iran in some areas, including the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important chokepoints, which accounts for about 30% of the world’s seaborne oil shipments.
“Despite their propagandistic activities, the Americans know that they are not able to counter the Islamic Republic of Iran’s actions in some areas, including the closing of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.