Iran has equipped the naval branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with drones and missiles with a range of up to 1,000 km, as tensions with the United States in the Strait of Hormuz continue to escalate, Reuters reported on August 5.
The decision comes after the US military said this week it was considering placing armed guards on commercial vessels passing through the strategic strait, in a bid to deter Iran from seizing or harassing civilian vessels. Tehran often claims ships are seized for shipping violations.
Missile systems present at an IRGC naval event
Referring to the possible presence of US forces on commercial vessels, Iranian armed forces spokesman General Abolfazl Shekarchi said that countries in the region are fully capable of protecting their surrounding waters.
"What do the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean have to do with America? What are you doing here?", Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted Mr. Shekarchi as saying.
Iran's state news agency IRNA said IRGC weapons, including "various types of drones… and hundreds of cruise and ballistic missiles with ranges from 300 to 1,000 kilometers", were among the military systems and equipment "added to the capabilities of the IRGC naval force today".
IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri told Iranian state television on August 5 that the new missiles have higher accuracy and longer range. "The cruise missiles can hit multiple targets simultaneously and can change their command after takeoff," Tangsiri said.
Since 2019, tensions between the US and Iran have been rising over ship seizures in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It is also the only sea corridor leading from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, and about a fifth of the world's crude oil passes through the strait.
Strategic location of the Strait of Hormuz
The prospect of the US military placing armed forces on commercial vessels could further escalate tensions in the Gulf. The US has already deployed A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jets, F-16s and F-35s, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner and other warships to the region.
On August 3, the IRGC conducted a military exercise on disputed islands in the Gulf involving small boats, paratroopers and missile units.
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