TEHRAN – Vice-General Alileza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) naval, issued a harsh warning to the enemy on Saturday, pledging a “decisive and crushed answer” to the threat to the integrity of Iran’s territory.
At an exhibition of IRGC Navy achievements in the province of Hormozgan, located along the country’s southern coast, Tangsiri highlighted the increasing independence of Tehran in its unwavering sovereignty over the Persian Gulf Islands.
He praised Iran’s shift from foreign dependence to domestic military innovation, declaring, “Today we have reached a level where our enemy cannot challenge our maritime boundaries.”
He praised the country’s youth and experts for promoting advances in naval technology and framing its work as a breakwater against foreign attacks.
“Leeing on our brave youth, we will not allow our enemies to do any slight attacks on our maritime border,” he asserted.
The admiral contrasted with Iran’s current autonomy and past dependence on external allies, saying, “We once needed outsiders to counter the enemy, but now we meet all our defensive needs.”
He argued that the change reflects the broader national resilience built through decades of sanctions and geopolitical pressure.
The Navy Chief highlighted the Hormozgan exhibition as evidence of Tehran’s “technical self-sufficiency” that reduced its dependence on foreign weapons. He shows that regular exercises are ready to secure a transport lane and fight off aggression.
The IRGC Navy recently prioritized indigenous development and expanded its fleet with swarms of drones tailored to fast attack boats, advanced missile systems and asymmetrical battles.
An uncontroversial reality: The Persian Gulf is Iranian territory
The heart of Tangsiri’s speech was Iran’s sovereignty over Tamb, small and large Tamb, Abu Musa and 17 other islands in the Persian Gulf.
“These islands have always been part of Iran’s territory and remain Iran as long as Iran stands,” he argued, dismissing competing claims as “illegal.”
The islands control the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint of 30% of the world’s maritime oil trade, serving as “the point of Iran’s control over the entrance and exit routes of the Persian Gulf.”
Tangsiri linked the island’s security to Iran’s historical identity, saying, “We cannot erase our millennium-old identity. The Persian Gulf is Iranian and we are its guardians.”
He paid tribute to martyrs who defended the country’s territory during the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88, stressing that “our martyrs solidified Iran’s identity with regard to these lands.”
The commander also described the Iranian naval stance as essential to protecting energy reserves, citing fields such as Knowles, Solo and Forozan.
“Even during the war in the 1980s, production never ceased when the enemy attacked these areas,” he said. “It is our sacred duty to protect these God-given resources.”
“In the Persian Gulf, there are no international waters. These are part of the continental shelf,” he said, urging Iranian leaders to intensify the exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves.
“Through history, Iranians have tried to remove settlers from the region,” he chose the Qeshm, Hengam and Larak Islands as important for controlling the Strait of Hormuz, adding that “preserving the Strait is only possible through these islands.”
“As long as Iran stands, we will protect the land and water with unwavering resolve,” concluded Tangsiri.