ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran has reinforced its Revolutionary Guards’ navy with drones and 1,000km range missiles, Iranian media reported on Saturday, after US officials said troops may be deployed aboard tankers passing through the Gulf.
“The enemy has been the cause of our growth,” Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) top Commander Hosseini Salami said at the unveiling ceremony of the new equipment, as cited by semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Salami added that the expansion of the IRGC Navy was a result of “the enemy”, in this case likely referring to the US, “coming closer to us in the region.”
Iran’s state-run IRNA reported that various types of “reconnaissance, intelligence, offensive and combat drones, support and command vehicles” were among the new additions to the IRGC Navy’s fleet.
The reinforcement comes after US officials said earlier this week that it could deploy Marines and troops aboard its commercial tankers to deter Iran from seizing its ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Around a fifth of global crude oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway between Iran and Oman.
US defense department press secretary Pat Ryder and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby both declined to comment on the possible deployment of troops.
Tehran and Washington have had frequent altercations in the vicinity of the Gulf ever since the US tightened sanctions against Iran’s economy, particularly its oil exports.
The US military says Iran has seized or attempted to take over almost 20 international ships crossing through the Gulf waterways over the past two years. Tehran claims the vessels have been detained for committing shipping violations. On July 5, the US military said it had prevented attempts by the Iranian navy to seize two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
Last month, Washington deployed F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, a destroyer, around 3,000 personnel as well as other warships to the region in response to Iran’s harassment at sea.
In response, Tehran warned that this could cause insecurity and instability in the region, adding that Tehran maintains the right to defend itself.
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