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.
