Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said, “Iran is the greatest guard and protector of security in the Persian Gulf,” downplaying the US announcement concerning its imminent war-games in the regional waters in the Persian Gulf as unimportant. “Iran has seen so many similar stances of the US and Washington’s decisions, moves and war games have
no impact on the Islamic Republic of Iran… The US imagines that it can affect Iran by announcing that it will stage a demeaning exercise, but that won’t happen.” He said that security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz fully depends on Tehran. “Administration of (affairs) the Strait of Hormuz and full control of the region lie in Iran’s hand.” He warned Arab states on the southern rim of the Persian Gulf to distance themselves from the US and rely more strongly on their internal power, reminding them that regional security can only be established through the joint cooperation of the regional states.
Source: Iran Daily Brief