TEHRAN -- A senior Iranian commander on Saturday said the United States must end its military presence in the region or expect a crushing response from the Islamic Republic.
"Definitely, this is our home and it is U.S. terrorists who are in the wrong place,” said Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s naval force.
His remarks coincided with a U.S. aircraft carrier passing the Strait of Hormuz to enter the Persian Gulf Friday amid Washington’s threats to enforce sanctions without the backing of UN Security Council partners.
A strike group led by the USS Nimitz and including two guided-missile cruisers and a guided-missile destroyer sailed into the Persian Gulf to operate and train with U.S. partners, the U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement.
"The Nimitz Strike Group has been operating in the 5th Fleet area of operations since July, and is at the peak of readiness," said strike group commander Rear Admiral Jim Kirk.
The move came just days after hawkish U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to enforce an arms embargo and other sanctions against Iran which the U.S. said would resume on Saturday.
On Tuesday Pompeo vowed that Washington would prevent Iran from purchasing Chinese and Russian military equipment, even as European allies disagreed with Washington's stance.
"We are going to act in a way – and we have acted in a way – that will prevent Iran from being able to purchase Chinese tanks and Russian air defense systems and resell weapons to Hezbollah," Pompeo said.
And on Wednesday he said the United States would enforce resumed United Nations sanctions on Iran starting next week, despite nearly the entire UN Security Council saying Washington does not have the grounds to do so.
"We'll do all the things we need to do to make sure that those sanctions are enforced," Pompeo said.
The United States regularly sends aircraft carrier groups into the Persian Gulf for exercises and to support its military interventions in Iraq and Syria.
But the Trump administration has sought to step up pressure on Tehran after unilaterally withdrawing the United States from the 2018 nuclear accord.
Tangsiri said Saturday, "We have never started a war and will never do so. But should a war break out, we are definitely not afraid of it.”
"We always avoid war, but if the enemies want to threaten and encroach upon our national interests in any part of the country, we will firmly stand up to any such move,” he said. "I’m telling the enemies not to repeat a mistake.”
The top commander also urged Iran’s neighbors to reinforce their unity to stand up to enemies.
The admiral touched upon Iran’s policy with regards to blocking the Strait of Hormuz, saying it is up to Iran’s strategic decision-makers to make a decision on the issue.
What is related to the IRGC, he said, is that it should execute any order it receives and the force is ready to fulfill any such order.
Admiral Tangsiri warned the enemies that the Islamic Republic will cut off any hand which is extended out of aggression.
"We will cut off their hand if it is extended in aggression, and if they grit their teeth, we will smash them in their mouths,” he said. "This is not a slogan, and we have proved it in practice.”
Tangsiri also touched on normalization deals which Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed this month with the occupying regime of Israel.
He said the presence of the Zionist regime is definitely to the detriment of the regional states. "We consider this presence a threat and believe that our neighbors should not allow it.”
"Definitely, this is our home and it is U.S. terrorists who are in the wrong place,” said Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s naval force.
His remarks coincided with a U.S. aircraft carrier passing the Strait of Hormuz to enter the Persian Gulf Friday amid Washington’s threats to enforce sanctions without the backing of UN Security Council partners.
A strike group led by the USS Nimitz and including two guided-missile cruisers and a guided-missile destroyer sailed into the Persian Gulf to operate and train with U.S. partners, the U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement.
"The Nimitz Strike Group has been operating in the 5th Fleet area of operations since July, and is at the peak of readiness," said strike group commander Rear Admiral Jim Kirk.
The move came just days after hawkish U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to enforce an arms embargo and other sanctions against Iran which the U.S. said would resume on Saturday.
On Tuesday Pompeo vowed that Washington would prevent Iran from purchasing Chinese and Russian military equipment, even as European allies disagreed with Washington's stance.
"We are going to act in a way – and we have acted in a way – that will prevent Iran from being able to purchase Chinese tanks and Russian air defense systems and resell weapons to Hezbollah," Pompeo said.
And on Wednesday he said the United States would enforce resumed United Nations sanctions on Iran starting next week, despite nearly the entire UN Security Council saying Washington does not have the grounds to do so.
"We'll do all the things we need to do to make sure that those sanctions are enforced," Pompeo said.
The United States regularly sends aircraft carrier groups into the Persian Gulf for exercises and to support its military interventions in Iraq and Syria.
But the Trump administration has sought to step up pressure on Tehran after unilaterally withdrawing the United States from the 2018 nuclear accord.
Tangsiri said Saturday, "We have never started a war and will never do so. But should a war break out, we are definitely not afraid of it.”
"We always avoid war, but if the enemies want to threaten and encroach upon our national interests in any part of the country, we will firmly stand up to any such move,” he said. "I’m telling the enemies not to repeat a mistake.”
The top commander also urged Iran’s neighbors to reinforce their unity to stand up to enemies.
The admiral touched upon Iran’s policy with regards to blocking the Strait of Hormuz, saying it is up to Iran’s strategic decision-makers to make a decision on the issue.
What is related to the IRGC, he said, is that it should execute any order it receives and the force is ready to fulfill any such order.
Admiral Tangsiri warned the enemies that the Islamic Republic will cut off any hand which is extended out of aggression.
"We will cut off their hand if it is extended in aggression, and if they grit their teeth, we will smash them in their mouths,” he said. "This is not a slogan, and we have proved it in practice.”
Tangsiri also touched on normalization deals which Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed this month with the occupying regime of Israel.
He said the presence of the Zionist regime is definitely to the detriment of the regional states. "We consider this presence a threat and believe that our neighbors should not allow it.”
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