xinhuanet.com – October 29, 2008
Iran's Deputy Army Commander Brigadier General Seied Abdolrahim Moussavi said Tuesday that the aircraft carriers of the enemy, "like the elements of the computer games," are under the gaze of Iran's Armed Forces, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The country's Armed Forces on Monday inaugurated a new naval base in the strategic port of Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.
Moussavi pointed out that the new naval base in Jask would function as a "protective barrier in the eastern parts of the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman."
According to the Iranian English-language satellite channel Press TV, Moussavi also added that, "In the past, our military had to brace itself for countering regional enemies, today, however, we are faced with extra-regional threats."
State radio quoted the chief of the Iranian navy, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, as calling the naval base "a new line of defense in the Persian Gulf which, if necessary, can prevent any enemy from entering the Persian Gulf's strategic area."
The deputy chief of Iran's Armed Forces General Headquarters Sardar Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr warned last week that any aggression on Iran would drive the country's operation beyond its borders.
Reiterating the retaliation in case of any aggression, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned that Iran would cut off the hands of the aggressor to his country.
Iran's Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) completed military maneuvers in the Gulf called Payambar-e Azam 3 (Great Prophet 3) in mid-July to improve combat readiness and capability. Iran also successfully test fired new long and medium-range missiles in the drills.
The United States and Israel have consistently refused to rule out the possibility of military strikes against Iran over its refusal to halt its nuclear program.
The United States and its allies have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program. Iran has denied the U.S. charges and insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/29/content_10269613.htm
Editor: Mu Xuequan
Last updated 02/11/2008
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