Iranian Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced this week that his country will be sending warships to the US East Coast in an effort to keep an eye on one of the world’s most “arrogant” powers.
Sayyari says that they will accomplish their mission “with the help of our sailors who follow the concept of the supreme jurisprudence.” His message was delivered during an anniversary speech marking the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war.
Iran sent their first warships through the Suez Canal earlier this year, the first time they have done so since 1979.
Sayyari and Iran do have one Navy mission that the U.S. and other countries will likely support, they plan to help fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden, a condition that has worsened over the years and also affects Iran supply chains.
While Sayyari in his speech used propaganda to make it sound like Iran Navy forces were defying the United States, it has long been a policy for the US to allow for open seas.
Speaking about the veiled threat a Pentagon spokesman said:
“We’ve been pushing freedom of the seas for years and the Iranian navy can go wherever it wants.”
Then again it wasn’t an all rosy sentiment from the United States when another military official said Iran can go wherever they want however if they choose to straddle America’s marine borders “they might have some company.”
I’m marking this one down as another bit of propaganda from a county who in no way have the firepower to deal with the massive U.S. Navy.