Iran DM: Illegal US Presence in Persian Gulf Causing Insecurity

Says US complaints about Iranian boats 'baseless'

The first official Iranian response to US allegations of Iranian boats being “dangerous and provocative,” came Friday from the Defense Ministry, who said US claims were baseless, and that it is the “illegal and aggressive” US presence in the area that is fueling insecurity.

It is certainly hard to deny that the US presence is fueling this whole matter. The US complaints surrounding Iran’s Navy routinely start with US naval operations off the Iranian coast, and Iran sending its boats out to keep an eye on the US forces.

The incidents never amount to any direct confrontation of the US Navy, but rather the US objecting to the boats getting sort of close. In ensuring their naval exercises are immediately off Iran’s territorial waters, it is all but certain Iran would investigate it, and the US would then be able to object.

So far nothing else has come of the incident, but the US is able to ensure tensions remain high by having such problems now and again. It is thus very fair for Iran to say that the US presence is really what is fueling this.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.