Iranian Officials Continue Sending Contradictory Signals
Iranian diplomatic and military officials sent contradictory messages on Friday regarding relations with Persian Gulf neighbors and regional peace and stability.
Foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who just completed a tour of four Persian Gulf nations and returned to Tehran highlighted good relations and the importance of cooperation for the sake of “a better and more secure future.”
He visited Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait days after Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan went to Tehran after years of rivalry and animosity.
The foreign minister wrote on Instagram that “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes establishing mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation with all countries of the important Persian Gulf region is needed and could be beneficial more than ever before.”
At the same time Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali-Reza Tangsiri said, “Any ship that wants to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must inform us of its nationality, type of cargo, and destination in Farsi, and if it does not do this, we will definitely go after it.”
This is hardly a sign of de-escalation that Western media and some officials have been referring to when describing the purpose of recent diplomatic contacts with Tehran.
In fact, Iran has seized and harassed several commercial vessels this year in the Persian Gulf and the greater region, for no clear reason, prompting the United States to increase readiness to provide maritime security.
US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces spokesperson Cmdr. Tim Hawkins told Breaking Defense earlier this month that in the past two years alone, Iran has attacked or seized 15 internationally flagged merchant vessels.
The United States announced in May that it will begin to bolster its defensive posture in the Middle East region.
“[The] United States will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize freedom of navigation through the Middle East waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters May 12, adding that there is “simply no justification” for Iranian forces to interfere, harass or attack merchant ships.
Since then, a flurry of reports have indicated that Washington has been in talks with Tehran over a possible informal arrangement to reduce tensions. The scheme, that the State Department has dismissed as erroneous reporting, would provide the Islamic Republic with financial incentives in return for a cap on the level of its uranium enrichment.
The official government news website, IRNA, publishing Tangsiri’s statement Friday added that “The Islamic Republic has also made it clear that it views US military presence in the region as a threat to its national security and a destabilizing factor in regional countries.”
A day earlier, the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Amirali Hajizadeh said that Iran plans to increase the range of its recently unveiled “hypersonic missile” to 2,000 kilometers from 1,400 km.
He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran has mastered all complicated technologies in the field of the defense industry, praising President Ebrahim Raisi’s government for full support, while criticizing his predecessor for restraining the missile program.
