IRGC Issues Warnings to US Warships in Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian vessel approaches a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim)
An Iranian vessel approaches a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim)
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IRGC Issues Warnings to US Warships in Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian vessel approaches a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim)
An Iranian vessel approaches a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim)

Commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said that his forces issued a warning to an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz, said IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency.

IRGC released footage of the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall that traveled through the Strait of Hormuz, last Saturday.

The American forces didn’t comment on the matter.

Tasnim quoted Tangsiri as saying that during monitoring the American warship, a US helicopter took off from the vessel's flying deck but was forced to land shortly after warnings from the watch tower in the Strait of Hormuz, and the presence of the ‘Revolutionary Guard’ naval boats.

He added it was the first entry by the Americans into the waters off the southern coasts of Iran since 2021, stressing that Iran and the neighboring countries in the Gulf can ensure security in the regional waters and there is no need for foreigners' presence.

Tangsiri said the IRGC Navy’s success in monitoring the maritime movements in the Persian Gulf and its vigilance in the face of threats, particularly from the warships of extra-regional countries, proved that the Iranian forces would never allow enemies to undermine the security of the Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Last week, Western naval forces operating in the Gulf warned ships sailing in the strategic Strait of Hormuz against approaching Iranian waters to avoid the risk of seizure.

The warnings issued on Saturday and Sunday follow a week that saw the United States boost its military presence in the region and an agreement between Washington and Tehran that has raised hopes of reducing tensions between the adversaries.

In April and May, Iran seized two tankers within a week in regional waters.

A few days earlier, Washington announced the arrival of more than 3,000 US Marines and sailors to the Middle East on board warships as part of a plan to boost the military presence in the region, which it confirmed aims to deter Iran from seizing ships and oil tankers.



France Warns That North Korean Troops Fighting in Ukraine Would Be an Escalation

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot shake hand with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot shake hand with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
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France Warns That North Korean Troops Fighting in Ukraine Would Be an Escalation

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot shake hand with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot shake hand with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)

The involvement of North Korean regular troops to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine would be a serious escalation of the war, France and Ukraine's foreign ministers said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday.

France's Jean-Noel Barrot, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since becoming foreign minister in September, is also set to visit the east of the country on Sunday, where France will finance new two new centers for the protection of children impacted by the war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused North Korea on Thursday of deploying officers alongside Russia and of preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to help Moscow's war effort, although NATO chief Mark Rutte said there was no evidence of Pyongyang's presence at this stage.

"It would be serious and push the conflict into a new stage, an additional escalatory stage," Barrot said in Kyiv, adding that such a move would signal that Moscow was struggling in the war.

His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, said the risk of escalation from the move was "huge."

"This is a huge threat of further escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine. There is a big risk of it growing out of its current scale and borders."

Earlier this week, Zelenskiy presented his "victory plan" which he said would enable Ukraine to end the war no later than next year. The first step of this plan was unconditional NATO membership for Ukraine.

France's foreign minister said Paris was open to the idea of an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, but that talks would continue on the subject with allies.

"Regarding the invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, we are open to it and it's a discussion that we are having with our partners," Barrot said.