The security of the Persian Gulf is the red line for Iran, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday.
Iran's adversaries must understand that the security of the Persian Gulf is Iran's red line, and this region is not a field for trial and error by any aggressor, said Mohammad Hadi Sefidchian, commander of the IRGC headquarters in Medina base, IRGC's closest base to the Strait of Hormuz.
Sefichian said Iran maintains comprehensive surveillance over enemy movements and possesses the capability to deliver decisive, deterrent responses at any level. He stressed that Iran's security and strength are non-negotiable and unbreakable.
Earlier on Sunday, Mohsen Rezaee, military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, warned that if the United States persist in launching a new round of military strikes, Iran will cast off its previous posture of restraint and forbearance.
He said Iran's retaliatory reach would not be limited to the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, but would extend further to the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and even the Indian Ocean.
History showed that the control over the Strait of Hormuz is a legitimate and vital right for Iran to safeguard its national security, said Rezaee.
Iran's management of the waterway is not intended to block free trade, but to prevent insecurity and military invasion, he said.
Any hostile act that violates the Hormuz Strait or enters the Gulf will draw a severe response, he said.
Should such hostility continue, withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is among Iran's strategic options, said Rezaee.
Security of Gulf red line for Iran: commander
