Speaking to Tasnim on Tuesday, Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said that before the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, between 30 and 40 US warships had been present in the Persian Gulf, whereas “not even a single American vessel” remains there today.
He added that there is currently not even a small US vessel from the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain operating in the Persian Gulf, saying American warships have moved at least 500 kilometers away from the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
Mohebbi said the current US threats therefore amount to “an attempt to portray an obvious defeat as a victory.” He also referred to the prospect of further withdrawal by US forces from the region, citing a Monday message by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei that the US would soon retreat from the Arabian Sea as well.
The spokesman argued that the US military lacks the capability and structure for sustained warfare, pointing to the attrition suffered by the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R. Ford and other US carriers, as well as the high costs of maintaining a regional presence.
The general said Iran’s strategy regarding foreign military forces is clear, stressing that Tehran would not allow aggressors to remain in the region. “We will not stop until we drive the US out of the region, punish the aggressor and achieve lasting deterrence,” he said, adding that Iran seeks to ensure that no one would dare attack the country.
General Mohebbi concluded that Iran must instill in its adversaries the belief that any aggression against Iran would carry “a heavy price” and that the other side would have to bear its substantial costs.