US to Blame for Any Disturbance in Persian Gulf: Iranian Commander
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri rejected reports about alleged “unprofessional behavior” by Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf, saying the US is to blame for any disturbance in the body of water.
“Reports released by American sources about unprofessional behavior by Iranian vessels are devoid of any truth,” Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Saturday.
He added that such reports are either “based on false information or pursue ulterior motives.”
“The US must more than ever monitor and control the conduct of its warships in the Persian Gulf,” said the commander, according to Press TV.
“We stress that the Americans are to blame for any disturbance in the Persian Gulf and for this reason we once again warn that the US forces must alter their attitude,” Jazayeri pointed out.
He made the comments after the US navy claimed that its aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush was "harassed" and "threatened" by Iranian vessels while passing through the Strait of Hormuz on March 21.
The US navy claimed that more than 20 small Iranian vessels were involved in the incident as the US aircraft carrier was sailing to the northern areas of the Persian Gulf.
Rear Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, the commander of the Bush carrier strike group, described the alleged move as "unprofessional behavior."
A commander with Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on March 8 that an American warship recently drew warnings by sailing “unprofessionally” close to the force’s vessels near Iranian territorial waters.
Mehdi Hashemi, who commands the IRGC Navay’s Zolfaqar Flotilla, said the American ship was sailing as part of a naval fleet also comprising British vessels.
His remarks came after Reuters cited a US official as saying on condition of anonymity on March 6 that “a US Navy ship and three British Royal Navy boats were forced to change course when several Iranian fast-attack vessels approached them in the Strait of Hormuz” on March 4.
