TEHRAN – Iranian forces patrol the Persian Gulf in accordance with international regulations, the chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces has said, deriding the idea that such patrol operations or war games should be coordinated with U.S. warships coming from thousands of miles away.

Addressing a conference on defense laws in Tehran on Tuesday, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri took a swipe at the U.S. for dispatching its naval forces to the Persian Gulf from thousands of miles away and trying to force other vessels to make arrangements with American warships when passing by.

“The international maritime law has set regulations for territorial waters, high seas and littoral states, and we are patrolling the Persian Gulf in compliance with those legal norms,” the top commander underlined.

He also slammed as “bitter and hilarious” the notion held by the U.S. that Iran’s patrol operations or military drills in the Persian Gulf should be coordinated with American warships in advance.

SP/PA