TEHRAN — The Iranian islands of the Persian Gulf will be turned into residential areas, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri announced on Wednesday.  

Tangsiri said the decision came according to an order issued by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
 
The announcement was made as Iran marked the National Persian Gulf Day on Wednesday.

“We plan to prepare the Persian Gulf islands for the people to live on by creating the residential infrastructure,” he said.

He said the decision is intended to show that Iran is after establishing security in the region.

“Iran has always transmitted the message of peace to regional countries and believes that security of the Persian Gulf can be ensured by regional countries’ cooperation,” he remarked, Mehr reported.

He named the presence of foreign forces in the region as the major source of insecurity.

“Illegal presence of American forces in the Persian Gulf is a big threat to its security and Iranian forces do not permit any foreign flotilla to enter its territorial waters,” he added.

The admiral also said Leader of the Islamic Revolution has a great interest in the strategic waterway.

He also said littoral states can make foreign forces leave the Persian Gulf.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in his Wednesday remarks in the cabinet meeting, addressed the U.S. saying that “this gulf’s name is the Persian Gulf not the gulf of New York or Washington gulf.”

“The U.S. must stop applying its conspiracy plots against the Iranian nation who has its name on this gulf and has protected it in history,” Rouhani said.

“The Iranian nation and soldiers beside the IRGC, Armed Forces and Basij forces will continue protecting the Persian Gulf,” he underlined.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said that the Persian Gulf belongs to its littoral states and that they are capable of providing its security and there is no reason for the United States to be in the Persian Gulf to have its Navy there.

MH/PA