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IRGC Commander: Iran is 'Only Power' that Can Secure Gulf
[An Nahar] Iran is the "only power" that can secure the oil-rich Gulf, a Revolutionary Guards commander said on Tuesday, adding that the reinforced U.S. navy presence in the waterway was causing regional instability."The only power which can provide for the security in the region is the Islamic Theocratic Republicof Iran and the world is slowly grasping this issue," said Admiral Ali Fadavi, the Guards' top naval chief, quoted by the website of the Bushehr provincial governor's office (ostb.ir). Tehran has often denounced the deployment of "foreign forces," especially U.S. ones, in the Gulf. However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... its leaders usually assert that "the region's countries" must jointly ensure security. Fadavi's reported comments were unusual in asserting that Iran, alone, should be the Gulf's guardian. Fadavi's comments were made ahead of September 16-27 war games the United States and 20 other nations are to hold near the Gulf. The exercises will test abilities to clear waters of mines -- a tactic the United States fears Iran could use to impede oil tanker traffic in the narrow Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Gulf. Iran has threatened to block that chokepoint if sanctions prevent it exporting its own oil, or if it is subject to air strikes that Israel has threatened to unleash to damage its nuclear facilities. Washington has warned Tehran that any attempt to close the strait would be viewed as a "red line" -- grounds for U.S. military action. Two U.S. aircraft carriers are already in or near the Gulf, with a third on the way, a greater-than-normal show of U.S. naval might in the region. Posted by: Fred 2012-09-05 |
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