IRGC: Iran will respond in kind to any US action, mischief in region
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned the United States against any act of mischief in the region, including the seizure of ships.
“Iran has reached such a high degree of power and capability that it can respond in kind to any US action and mischief [in the region], including the seizure of ships,” the IRGC’s spokesman Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif said on Monday, according to Press TV.
He added that regional countries have “correctly understood that Iran is turning into a big power in the region.” The IRGC’s spokesman added, “In any direct battle between Iran and the United States during recent years, regional countries have seen the weakness of America and the power of the Islamic Republic, and have understood that the security of the Persian Gulf must be established by its own littoral states.”
Sharif’s remarks came after the US Naval Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Monday that the US Navy has deployed more than 3,000 sailors and Marine forces to West Asia under the pretext of protecting ships and vessels crossing the main waterways in the strategic region. It added that the forces from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) have arrived in West Asia. The move was made after US Navy accused Iran of “attacking, seizing or attempting to seize” nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels in the region over the past two years.