Extra-regional forces a threat: Iran defense minister

Iran’s defense minister has described the presence of foreign forces in the region as a threat to the Islamic Republic.

“We consider none of our neighbors having maritime borders with us a naval threat; rather, the foreign forces present in the region, particularly the Americans, are deemed a threat for us,” said Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan on Tuesday, IRIB reported.

Dehqan, who was addressing a national conference on the development and construction of speedboats, said that Iran can capitalize on “the enemy’s weak points” in regional waters in order to balance against its power.

“We cannot compare our naval might to that of the United States; but, for all the points of strength that the enemy has, it also has weak points,” Dehqan said, adding that Iran can use its speedboats to create a balance of power against hostile forces.

He said Iran needs to put more efforts into optimizing the technical specifications of its speedboats.

During a naval drill in late February, the speedboats of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) showed their capability in drowning a replica of a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf waters.

The IRGC’s commander, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said the sinking of the replica of the US ship sent a clear message to the extraterritorial powers that Iran has the capability to counter threats if any battle erupts in the Persian Gulf in the future.

Iran maintains that its military might is merely based on its defense doctrine of deterrence and that it poses no threat to other countries.

The country has made great achievements in its defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems in recent years.

MS/HSN/HJL

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