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"Like the arrogant
powers that are present near our marine borders, we will also have a
powerful presence close to the American marine borders," Sayyari
said.
Speaking at
a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988
war with Iraq, Sayyari gave no details of when such a deployment could
happen or the number or type of vessels to be used.
On July 19
Sayyari also said that Iran was going to send "a flotilla into
the Atlantic".
The remarks
come as another high-ranking Iranian military official rejected a recent
US request to establish a "red phone" link between the countries
in the Persian Gulf.
"We would
establish direct contact with the United States if we would ever go
to the Gulf of Mexico," Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) Navy Ali Fadavi said.
He rejected
the US demand, and explained, "In the view of the Islamic Republic
of Iran, the presence of the US in the Persian Gulf is illegitimate
and makes no sense."
The Iranian
navy has been developing its presence in international waters since
last year, regularly launching vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf
of Aden to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates operating in the
area.
Iran also
sent two ships into the Mediterranean for the first time in February,
via the Suez Canal, to the annoyance of Israel and the United States.
And in July,
Sayyari announced that an Iranian submarine had completed an inaugural
mission in the Southern Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
From: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9007040331
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