Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Thursday that the Swiss envoy was called in and notified of Tehran’s “strong protest” over “illegal” and “destabilizing” presence of American forces in the Persian Gulf’s northern waters and near Iran’s coasts.
He was told that it is necessary that the US government adhere to international maritime regulations and respect freedom of navigation, he added.
The envoy was further reminded that Iran will defend its maritime rights with all power and will give “appropriate response” to any threat and wrong move by the US forces in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea, Mousavi said.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump said he had instructed the US navy to destroy Iranian boats “if they harass” US ships in the Persian Gulf.
“I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea,” Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday morning.
On Sunday, the IRGC Navy released a video showing a recent confrontation between its forces and the US Navy in the Persian Gulf, refuting claims by the US that Iranian forces behaved in a dangerous manner when faced with US Navy vessels.