TEHRAN — A senior spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff on Saturday dismissed as untrue statements by the United States about a suspicious incident for an Israeli-operated tanker in the Sea of Oman, warning the enemy that Iran will not allow any military engagement in its periphery.

In an interview with reporters, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said the claims of Iran’s involvement in the attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker is fabricated by the American, Israeli and Saudi media outlets.

The fabrication is intended to fan the flames of the Iranophobia project, the military spokesman remarked.
 
Commander also warned that in the event of a military confrontation with the enemy, Iran will not allow a battle zone to be formed in its surrounding areas. 

"If we are going to fight the enemy, we will make a clear announcement, just as we did in Ein al Assad," the general asserted, noting that Iran launched a large-scale missile strike on U.S. air base in Iraq in January 2020 in retaliation for the assassination of top commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. 

Calling the commotion against Iran as part of the psychological war against the Islamic Republic, Shekarchi added such an uproar is a proof that the enemy is fearful of the integrity of the Islamic Republic. 

The military spokesman added, "The United States has not been involved in interaction (with Iran) neither in the past nor currently. They have been trying to overthrow the Iranian government.”

He said, “As long as the Americans are under the influence of the Zionist regime, their approach of dealing with Iran will not change." 

The general warned that although the strategies of the United States, Britain, and Israel are based on creating insecurity, the Saudi media have also joined them in intensifying the campaign to demonize Iran, he said, adding that Iran’s strategy is to strengthen the security of the Persian Gulf.  

He also refuted the United States' claim that the wreckage of an Iranian drone was recovered from the water after the Mercer Street attack, saying that it is not clear which laboratory examined such undocumented evidence. 

The commander pointed out that for Zionists who have a long experience in such operations, it is not difficult to fabricate untenable evidence. 

“It’s not even difficult to create an explosion on a ship,” he said. 

The military official added the unity and solidarity of Iran’s Islamic institutions angered the United States, and the United States fabricated such stories as a way to increase pressure on Iran.

SA/PA