Advisor Dismisses US Plan to Curb IRGC Naval Power as Dream

The new US plan is among other American officials' dreams to confront Iran's military power and "if the Americans seek to think wisely, they will never allow clashes with the Iranian military forces", Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Assoudi said on Saturday.
"The Americans are after controlling and confronting the Islamic Republic of Iran's power but they are well aware that Iran's power is increasing and being stabilized day by day," he underscored.
His remarks came after Reuters quoted six current and former US officials as saying that President Donald Trump is weighing a strategy that could allow more aggressive US responses to Iran’s forces.
The proposal was prepared by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and other top officials, and presented to Trump at a National Security Council meeting on Friday, the sources said.
It could be agreed and made public before the end of September, two of the sources said.
According to the plan the US naval forces could react more forcefully when facing armed speed boats operated by the IRGC in the Persian Gulf.
In relevant remarks on Wednesday, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari referred to the recent warning given to the US warship to stay away from a damaged fishing boat of Iran in the Persian Gulf, and said the country will release the documents of the incident if necessary.
"The documents of the warning given to the US warship are present and we will release them if necessary," Rear Admiral Sayyari told reporters in Tehran.
He stressed that Iran will powerfully give warning to any country or power which wants to approach its territorial waters.
Also on Wednesday, Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan underlined that specified Naval rules exist in this regard and the Americans are required to respect them.
"Meantime, the presence of Americans in the region is an aggressive deployment," he added.
Reports said last Sunday that a US warship was shooed away from Iran's territorial waters after it received a tough warning from an Iranian navy vessel.
The incident happened when an Iranian fishing boat named Shams demanded Navy's help after an engine malfunctioning in waters 45miles off the coast of Iran's Jask port.
The Iranian Navy sent its missile-launching warship, Falakhan, for help and the fishing boat was towed to the pier to prevent further damage and drowning.
A US warship with the body number 02 was approaching the fishing boat but it was shooed away after receiving a warning from the Iranian warship.
The incident happened a few months after a commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy blasted the recent change of course by a US warship towards the IRGC vessels in the Persian Gulf, and warned of the dire repercussions of such "unprofessional" actions by Americans.
"A US warship of the US-British fleet, which was sailing through the traffic zone of the Strait of Hormuz, derailed from the international way and changed its course towards the IRGC Navy vessels present in the region at 10:20 to 11:00 of March 4 morning and it approached our vessels from a 550m distance in an unprofessional move with simultaneous warnings," Commander of the warship of the Zolfaqar 112 combat brigade of the IRGC Navy's first zone Admiral Mehdi Hashemi said.
Noting that deployment of the US and British vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz has endangered security of the strategic region which is deemed as the world's energy lifeline, he said, "Their unprofessional moves have provoked tension and insecurity and can have irreparable consequences."

SOURCE: FNA