Iran's Revolutionary Guard Chief Urges US to Pull Out of Persian Gulf

The United States should stop the naval presence in the Persian Gulf, as the country only inflicts high costs on itself and its allies due to its unreasonable maritime conduct, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – His comments come in response to remarks by top commander of US forces in the Middle East made in August, claiming that Iran's maneuvers in the Persian Gulf were allegedly provocative and unsafe.

"We tell the Americans that they had better stop wasting the American people’s assets and wealth by malicious and harmful presence in the Persian Gulf," Jafari was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

Jafari also criticized Washington for its "unbalanced conducts and lack of intelligence dominance" in the Persian Gulf.

Iran and the United States have been military provoking each other in the Persian Gulf for more than 30 years, but there has recently been an uptick in the threatening incidents, with about 32 cases reported so far this year, in comparison with 23 in 2015. Last week, Tehran warned Washington it would shoot down its two surveillance jets flying close to the Iranian airspace if they entered it.

In August, a US patrol vessel fired warning shots at an IRGC vessel that had come within 300 yards (900 foots) of a group of US ships conducting drills in the Persian Gulf, according to US officials.