I.R.G.C. Navy Commander Says U.S. Is Working on Deterrence Power against Iran

The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) Navy on Saturday hailed Iran’s defensive and offensive capabilities and emphasized that the United States poses no threat to Iran. “The I.R.G.C. Navy is fully ready against foreign threats and 100 light and heavy vessels are prepared to defend the country's water borders against the U.S. and its regional allies every day,” I.R.G.C.-affiliated Fars News Agency quoted Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi as saying at a gathering in Tehran. “Our deterrence power has been such that Americans announced some time ago that they were seeking to create a power that can deter Iran,” he added.  “During the years after the victory of the Revolution, the trend of enhancement of our defense power has always continued and with God's help, our deterrence power today is not comparable to the past at all.” Last month, Fadavi had said, “Today, the one who feels endangered at the water borders is the Americans.”

Comment: U.S. officials say that despite the 2015 nuclear agreement, the I.R.G.C. has increased its acts of provocation against the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf. I.R.G.C. fast-moving vessels frequently harass U.S. ships in the region and U.S. military officials have warned that such provocations could lead to miscalculations and dangerous confrontations in the future.

On May 10, the top Iranian military official hinted that the country’s naval forces would use speedboats manned by “martyrdom-seeking combatants” against the U.S. Navy in case of a naval warfare in the Persian Gulf. “These boats are not just a piece of equipment; they are a culture,” Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said at a conference on speedboats in Tehran.  “The combatant that mans it is inspired by faith and trust in God and the martyrdom-seeking spirit of Ashoura [a major religious commemoration of the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson at Karbala]. He shuts his eyes to worldly attractions and steps into jihad [holy war] against the infidel front. He is ready to sacrifice his life,” Bagheri added.

He described the new Islamic Revolution Guards Crops (I.R.G.C.) speedboats as a “miracle” that will enhance Iran’s deterrence power against the United States and other foreign enemies. He warned that although the U.S. and its allies have extensive and powerful naval presence in the Persian Gulf and have taken advanced measures to protect them, “they are vulnerable and will suffer heavy losses and casualties.”