Iran Guards: Our Forces Are in Best Operational Shape in Hormuz Strait

Commander of the IRGC naval forces Alireza Tangsiri tours Abu Musa Island on Thursday. (IRGC media0
Commander of the IRGC naval forces Alireza Tangsiri tours Abu Musa Island on Thursday. (IRGC media0
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Iran Guards: Our Forces Are in Best Operational Shape in Hormuz Strait

Commander of the IRGC naval forces Alireza Tangsiri tours Abu Musa Island on Thursday. (IRGC media0
Commander of the IRGC naval forces Alireza Tangsiri tours Abu Musa Island on Thursday. (IRGC media0

Commander of the naval forces of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Alireza Tangsiri said his forces deployed in the Hormuz Strait are “in their best operational shape”.

He made his remarks after the United States said it was keeping two aircraft carrier groups deployed in the region amid the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.

Tangsiri inspected IRGC forces deployed in the Hormuz Strait and Iran-occupied United Arab Emirates islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, and Sirri.

The visit aimed to assess the operational readiness of the equipment that has been added to the defense lines on the islands and Hormuz Strait, he told state television.

This includes rocket and surveillance systems and drones, which he said are in “their best possible shape.”

In a message to “neighbors and Gulf countries,” Tangsiri said: “We have repeatedly stressed that our message is that of friendship and unity.”

At the same time, “the presence of enemies in the region aims to sow division and strife,” he was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.

Meanwhile, IRGC commanders reiterated their threats to attack Israel in retaliation to the assassination of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi, Deputy Commander of the General Staff of the Armed Forces for Coordination Affairs, said on Wednesday that the retaliation “against the Zionist regime is inevitable”.

The timing of the attack has not been set and is up to Iran, he stated.

He also defended the attacks the Iran-backed Houthi militias have been carrying out against international shipping in the Red Sea, saying: “Their stand against the Zionist and American crimes has been a thorn in their side.”

He compared them to Iran during the early days of its revolution, saying they are “showing resistance through minimal military means against drones and American battleships.”

Deputy Commander for Operations of the Quds Force - the IRGC’s foreign arm - Brigadier General Mohsen Chizari said Iran’s retaliation will be “different” and it will depend on “the conditions and location where it believes it can achieve goals.”

Iran will keep the element of surprise and will show patience and restraint, he added.

On Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder confirmed that the US will keep its aircraft carriers in the region given that Iran has yet to launch its retaliatory strikes.

“Iran has indicated that it intends to retaliate, so we will continue to take that threat seriously,” he told a press briefing without elaborating.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group was deployed to the region last month given the regional tensions.



Russia’s Top Diplomat Praises Trump’s Views on Ukraine Conflict

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov smiles during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov smiles during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP)
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Russia’s Top Diplomat Praises Trump’s Views on Ukraine Conflict

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov smiles during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov smiles during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP)

Russia’s top diplomat said Tuesday that Moscow is open for talks with President-elect Donald Trump and praised him for pointing to NATO's plan to embrace Ukraine as a root cause of the nearly 3-year-old conflict.

Any prospective peace talks should involve broader arrangements for security in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at his annual news conference, while adding that Moscow is open to discussing security guarantees for Kyiv.

Lavrov specifically praised Trump's comments earlier this month in which he said that NATO’s plans to open its doors to Ukraine had led to the hostilities.

Trump said Russia had it "written in stone" that Ukraine's membership in NATO should never be allowed, but the Biden administration had sought to expand the military alliance to Russia's doorstep. Trump added that, "I could understand their feelings about that."

Trump's comments echoed Moscow’s rhetoric which has described its "special military operation" in Ukraine launched in February 2022 as a response to planned NATO membership for Kyiv and an effort to protect Russian speakers. Ukraine and its allies have denounced Russia's action as an unprovoked act of aggression.

"NATO did exactly what it had promised not to do, and Trump said that," Lavrov said. "It marked the first such candid acknowledgement not only from a US but any Western leader that NATO had lied when they signed numerous documents. They were used as a cover while NATO has expanded to our borders in violation of the agreements."

The West has dismissed that assessment. Before the conflict, Russia had demanded a legal guarantee that Ukraine be denied NATO entry, knowing the alliance has never excluded potential membership for any European country but had no immediate plan to start Ukraine down that road. Russia said NATO expansion would undermine its security, but Washington and its allies argued the alliance didn’t threaten Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged his Western allies to invite Kyiv to join NATO, or, at the very least, offer comprehensive security guarantees that would prevent any future Russian attacks. The alliance’s 32 member countries say Ukraine will join one day, but not until the fighting ends.

Trump has reaffirmed his intention to broker peace in Ukraine, declaring earlier this month that "Putin wants to meet" and that such a meeting is being set up. In the past, he has criticized US military aid for Ukraine and even vowed to end the conflict in a single day if elected.

Lavrov emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly declared his openness for talks with Trump, adding that Moscow looks forward to hearing Trump’s view on Ukraine after he takes office.

Lavrov also praised comments by Trump's pick for national security adviser, Mike Waltz, who said Sunday it's unrealistic to expect that Ukraine could drive Russian forces "from every inch of Ukrainian soil."

"The very fact that people have increasingly started to mention the realities on the ground deserves welcome," Lavrov said during his annual news conference un Moscow.

In its final days, the Biden administration is providing Kyiv with as much military support as it can, aiming to put Ukraine in the strongest position possible for any future negotiations. The US also introduced new sanctions on Russia's oil industry.

Lavrov described those efforts as an attempt by the Biden administration to "slam the door" and leave a difficult legacy for Trump. "The Democrats have a way of screwing things up for the incoming administration," he said.

He emphasized that any prospective peace talks must address Russia's security concerns and reflect a broad European security environment.

"Threats on the western flank, on our western borders, must be eliminated as one of the main reasons (of the conflict)," he said. "They can probably be eliminated only in the context of some broader agreements."

He added that Moscow is also open to discuss security guarantees for Kyiv, "for the country, which is now called Ukraine."

Lavrov was asked about Trump's comments in which he wouldn't rule out using force or economic pressure to make Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark — a part of the United States.

Lavrov emphasized that the people of Greenland must be asked what they want.

"For a start, it's necessary to listen to the Greenlanders," Lavrov said, noting that they have the right for self-determination if they believe that their interests aren't duly represented by Denmark.