The announced deployment of Western maritime forces comes as part of a US initiative to build a naval coalition with the task of safeguarding shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and in the Persian Gulf. Tehran has denounced the initiative, stating that Iran is capable of maintaining security in the region.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri stated on 18 August that the presence of a foreign navy in the Persian Gulf would not contribute to the region’s security, as was suggested earlier by the US. Tangsiri argued that on the contrary, such a military presence only fuels instability and insecurity.