The leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) warned on Thursday that he has ordered his forces to target the U.S. Navy if threatened after President Donald Trump’s tweet the previous day threatening to sink Iranian vessels.
“I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American terrorist force in the Persian Gulf that threatens the security of Iran’s military or non-military ships,” IRGC General Hossein Salami told state television, adding, “Security of the Persian Gulf is part of Iran’s strategic priorities.”
“I am telling the Americans that we are absolutely determined and serious in defending our national security, our water borders, our shipping safety, and our security forces, and we will respond decisively to any sabotage,” he said.
The latest rise of tensions comes after the U.S. Navy said last week that 11 Iranian naval gunboats had carried out “dangerous and harassing approaches” to American Navy and Coast Guard vessels in the Persian Gulf. The Americans said they used a variety of nonlethal means to warn off the Iranian boats, which eventually left. Iran, meanwhile, accused the U.S. of sparking the incident, without offering evidence for the claim.
Source: World Israel News
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