IRGC Refutes Story on Presence of Foreign Ships as It Responded to Distress Call
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy rejected media stories on the presence of extra-regional naval vessels near the Strait of Hormuz when the Iranian forces responded to a distress call from a Marshall Islands-flagged ship.
In comments on Monday, Commander of the IRGC Navy’s 1st Naval Zone Admiral Abbas Qolamshahi said the hostile media outlets have acted unprofessionally without observing the media moral standards and have tried to provoke insecurity and justify the “illegitimate and unjustifiable presence of the extra-regional countries in the Persian Gulf” by spreading false news.
He said a Marshall Islands-flagged trade vessel issued a distress call on the international channel when it was approaching the Strait of Hormuz at 4:15 pm local time on June 4.
The command and control center of Iran at the Hormuz Strait responded to the call immediately, and resolved the ship’s concerns about the presence of non-military light boats near it after considering the request and evaluating the situation in that region, he added.
The commander noted that the captain of the trade vessel had complained that he had spotted three non-military light boats at a distance of a few miles, voicing concern about possible harassment.
The IRGC commander said his forces observed the situation in the site after cooperation and interaction with a neighboring state –because the trade vessel was located in the territorial waters of the neighboring country- and resolved the concerns of its captain, who thanked the Iranian forces and continued to navigate after receiving assurances.
There were no extra-regional vessels in the location where the trade vessel had requested assistance, Admiral Qolamshahi underlined, saying the media claims about the presence of foreign naval forces are totally false.
He stated that ensuring security, carrying out rescue missions, and giving timely response to distress calls in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz are ordinary tasks that the IRGC forces perform routinely.
The responsibility to ensure the Persian Gulf security lies with the regional countries alone, the commander reiterated, saying the Persian Gulf states can protect sustainable security in the Persian Gulf without the need for the outsiders.
