Iran regards the intention of the United States and its allies to escort tankers going along the Persian Gulf as an attempt, under the guise of shipping protection, to expand its influence in the region. This was stated by the commander of the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Admiral Ali-Reza Tangisiri in an interview with the pan-Arab television channel Al-Mayadeen. In this case, the convoys will not become a significant technical obstacle to the detention of ships that violate the rules of navigation, the military leader claims.

“Our command can, if desired, detain any ship at any time, even accompanied by American and British forces,” said Tangisiri.

The admiral also cautioned against joining Israel to the American ship escort mission. According to Tangirisi, "any illegal presence" of the Israeli military in the waters of the Persian Gulf "could provoke a war."

Responsibility for the escalation of tension in the region was assigned to the United States and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. He opposed convoys involving foreign navies in the Persian Gulf.

“This is a small water area, and the more foreign military ships it has, the less secure the situation for everyone. From experience, it can be said that the presence of American and (other) foreign Navy has never given security, ”he said on Monday in an interview with Al-Jazeera.

Recall that at the end of June, the State Department announced that the United States will patrol the Gulf region to ensure freedom of navigation there. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the end of June invited other states to join this mission. Great Britain announced its readiness to help Washington.

Tanker war

The situation off the coast of Iran escalated on June 13, when two tankers caught fire in the Gulf of Oman, presumably as a result of sabotage. The United States and Saudi Arabia blamed the IRGC for these incidents.

A new incident exacerbated British-Iranian relations. Royal Royal Marine Corps detained an Iranian tanker Grace 1 on July 4 in the Gibraltar area. The British authorities claim that the ship delivered oil to Syria, bypassing the sanctions imposed on this country.

  • Admiral Ali Reza Tangisiri
  • © Wikimedia commons

Two weeks later, the IRGC detained the British oil tanker Stena Impero. The reason for the detention, according to the Iranians, was a violation of the rules of navigation.

To date, the Americans were able to agree on a joint escort in the Persian Gulf only with Great Britain. This country has already allocated its warships for this purpose. However, on August 6, speaking to members of the Knesset Commission on Foreign Affairs and Defense, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that his country was helping the coalition created by the Americans to ensure the safety of navigation.

“We are talking about the obvious Israeli interest as part of a strategy to slow down Iran and strengthen ties with the Gulf states,” Israelinfo quoted him as saying.

However, Katz did not say exactly what Israel’s assistance to the American coalition is expressed in.

Orientalist Karine Gevorgyan, in an interview with RT, linked this statement with the upcoming parliamentary elections in Israel in September.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now has elections in the Knesset, so the Iranian topic for him is such a knot on which he raises his political rating. The Iranian topic is being promoted to a senile degree, ”she said.

At the same time, according to Gevorgyan, the direct participation of the Israeli Navy in patrolling is unlikely, as this would really be a very radical step that could lead to a military conflict.

According to Vladimir Isaev, the chief researcher at the Center for Islamic and Arab Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Israel does not want a war with Iran or even a change of power in this country, but a change in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic. In Tel Aviv, they are unhappy that Tehran does not recognize the Jewish state, the expert notes. However, the war with Iran will not bring a change of this position closer, the orientalist emphasizes.

Iran's technical capabilities

The Iranian Navy is significantly inferior in its capabilities to the British and American Navy, experts say. Nevertheless, the authorities of the Islamic Republic can indeed interfere with any actions in the Persian Gulf, experts say.

  • US Navy aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz
  • Reuters
  • © US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joseph Miller / Handout

According to Isaev, Tangisiri’s statement is in line with the Iranian tactics of influencing the position of the West.

“Iran, in my opinion, is doing a preemptive maneuver. He simply warned that he could do this if his tankers would be arrested in the future. All steps taken by Iran were taken after the detention of its tanker in Gibraltar, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

According to Isaev, Iran wants its tankers to be able to go unhindered, without the threat of being arrested because of Washington’s position.

“What they think in the USA and Great Britain does not necessarily coincide with the opinion of the rest of the world,” the expert says.

Recall that in July the Royal Marines of Great Britain and the law enforcement services of Gibraltar detained the Iranian tanker Grace 1 flying the Panama flag in the Strait of Gibraltar on suspicion of delivering oil to Syria bypassing international sanctions.

The development of events in the Persian Gulf will largely depend on what the composition of the coalition for the protection of shipping, which the United States forms, turns out to be.

“So far, there is every reason to believe that it will not be wide. I would give a reference to the events of the early 2000s, when the United States overthrew Saddam Hussein. Then, supposedly an international coalition was also created for the war in Iraq, but only Americans and British were in it. Now, apparently, it will be the same, ”said Isaev.

If the coalition to patrol the Persian Gulf remains US-British, it is likely that Iran’s relations with the EU will not further deteriorate. For Iranians, this is important, since they expect that the position of Europe will somehow help them circumvent US sanctions and establish exports, the orientalist believes.