Illegal US Presence Causes Insecurity in Gulf - Iran’s Defense Minister

By Staff, Agencies

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami slammed the US presence in the Gulf, calling it illegal and saying it caused insecurity in the region.

The statement comes just days after Iranian Navy ships allegedly entered close proximity with US vessels in the Gulf waters. The US Navy claimed that the action is part of a series of “dangerous and harassing approaches".

"The Iranian people are insightful and see who is right; we are at home and they have come from the other side of the world to create a problem for the countries of the region by threatening and sanctioning them," Brigadier General Hatami told reporters on the sidelines of a parade held on the occasion of Iran's Army Day.

Earlier this week, US Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain claimed that 11 vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy had harassed several US warships engaged in exercises in the northern Gulf region.