"Our naval forces are so powerful that we have a presence in all the waters of the world and, if needed, we can move to within three miles of New York," The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said Tuesday during a speech to the students of the University of Yazd in Iran.
Fadavi said dominance over the Persian Gulf is "the only tool for the Americans to rule the world" and that's why "they confront any other power that threatens their status" in the waterway.
The admiral was speaking on the anniversary of a failed April 24, 1980 US military operation - dubbed "Operation Eagle Claw" - that sought to rescue American hostages held captive at the US Embassy in Tehran.
Also on Friday, IRGC Aerospace Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told FNA that the Islamic republic's military is also capable of crippling or disabling US aircraft carriers.
"First, sinking an aircraft carrier is not a complicated task," Hajizadeh said. "Second, an aircraft carrier is equipped with so many advanced, delicate, and sensitive devices … that it could be incapacitated by even the smallest explosion."
IRGC naval commanders said in July 2011 that they would expand their mission into the Atlantic Ocean, and that the country had equipped a number of its vessels with long-range ballistic missiles.
In September, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Iran planned to deploy naval vessels in the Atlantic Ocean. "The Navy has a strong presence in the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean and international waters and soon it will be present in the Atlantic Ocean," Vahidi said.
FARS
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