Arash Aramesh

The highest ranking Iranian naval officer reacted to the recent discussion in the Western media about potential military strikes against Iran. Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the commander of Iran’s naval forces, said today that the Iranian navy was ready to deal with any acts of aggression against Iran’s waters.

According to Fars News, a pro-government site with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Sayyari, who was speaking at an Iran-Iraq battle site, reminded everyone of the sacrifices made by the Iranian people to “repel the enemy.”

Sayyari asserted, “The naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, relying on their own technical achievements, are capable of repelling any act of aggression against Iran’s waters.” Three days earlier, Sayyari warned Iran’s enemies and said, “The foreign enemies of Iran must know that Iran’s navy is capable of defending the interests of the Islamic Republic in international waters.”

It must be noted that Iran’s naval forces protect the Arabian Sea in the south and the Caspian Sea in the north while the IRGC’s naval command has full responsibility for defending the Persian Gulf.

On March 17, Sepah News, the official website of the IRGC, published some statements made by Sheikh Naiem Qassem, Hezbollah’s number two man, that if Iran is attacked, the entire region would be directly threatened. Qassem said that the US and Israel will pay a heavy price for attacking Iran. Qassem asserted that American and Israeli statesmen are fully aware of the risks involved in attacking Iran; otherwise, they would have stricken Iran years ago.

Since this fall, Iran has conducted several military exercises including both the regular military forces and the IRGC. These exercises revolved around Iran’s air defense capabilities and irregular means of fighting a potential invading army.

Last year, Iran created an Air Defense Command in Tehran under the command of the IRGC, which is responsible for defending the airspace of the capital. It is believed that Iran is preparing for a potential air strike against its capital and its nuclear facilities.