'US Warships under Full Control of Iran Army, IRGC'

Tehran: A senior IRGC commander says the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps have complete control over the Persian Gulf waters north of the Strait of Hormuz.

IRGC's Second in Command Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said the movements of US battleships in the region are under the complete control of Iran's army and the IRGC and there are no worries regarding this.

"Over the years, our forces have acquired full control of the Persian Gulf in a way that they (US warships) should get permission from us for their movements in this area," Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi," Fars News Agency quoted him as saying.

"Everything north of the Strait of Hormuz is under our control," he emphasized, referring to a major oil shipping waterway which connects the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, adding that the American navy ships "cannot approach the waters that fall within our mare clausum."

The crew members of these warships, he said, are even required to know Persian language and there are always interpreters aboard the ships, adding, "This means authority."

Fadavi's comments came a week after the American Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS McFaul and USS Gonzalez sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf without any incident amid tensions with Iran.

However, Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Tuesday that Washington has no interest in escalating tensions with Iran or going to war with the Middle Eastern country.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that Iran does not intend to wage war with the United States, but will continue to resist Washington.