Tehran has advised Israel to stay clear of the Persian Gulf, where the US has been struggling to amass an anti-Iranian armada, noting that every vessel illegally present in the region increases the risk of an all-out conflict.
“Any illegitimate presence by the Zionists in the waters of the Persian Gulf could spark a war,” commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, warned on Sunday.
The Islamic Republic has vowed to protect its sovereignty in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond, accusing the US of trying to enforce its unilateral oil sanctions through military pressure after failing to do it via political extortion. Washington insists its intentions are peaceful and that it is rallying foreign warships to the region with the noble goal of protecting shipping lanes and vessels from Tehran.