The Iranian Navy is fully monitoring recent movements in the Persian Gulf, navy commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has said.

"All coastal movements in the region are being carefully monitored," Rear Adm. Sayyari said Sunday.

Rear Adm. Sayyari also warned on Thursday that Iran's naval forces are fully equipped to defend the country's sea borders 'with all their might'.

His remarks come amid reports suggesting that an armada of US and European naval vessels had been stationed in the Persian Gulf in an unprecedented build-up.

The recent introduction of House Resolution 362 - which 'demands' that the US president make strenuous efforts to prohibit "the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products" as well as "imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran" has fueled the speculation that Washington is considering a naval blockade of Iran over its nuclear program.

Supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Resolution is considered by its critics as a means of provoking war with Iran.

The US and Israel have long threatened to launch military strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran should the country continue uranium enrichment.

Despite the UN nuclear watchdog's confirmation that Iran enriches uranium to 3 percent, a rate consistent with the construction of a nuclear power plant, the two staunch allies accuse Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of pursuing nuclear weaponry.

Iran maintains that diplomacy is the only acceptable means for clarifying the civilian nature of its nuclear program. Tehran, however, has warned that if the country comes under attack, it would not hesitate in taking necessary measures to protect its sovereignty- including the closure of the strategic oil passage, the Strait of Hormuz.

The strategically vital strait, between Iran and Oman, is an essential conduit for energy supplies and connects the oil-rich region to free sea. As much as 40 percent of the world's sea-transited crude oil passes through the waterway.

In preparation for any possible act of aggression against the country, Iran is equipping its navy with high-tech weapons system, capable of targeting any vessel within a range of 300 kilometers from its shores.

MD/HGH