Iran again states it claim to the Gulf
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, November 15, 2000
NICOSIA — Despite the U.S. naval presence, Iran claims that it
remains in control of Gulf waters.
The claim was made by Iranian naval commander Rear Admiral Abbas Mohtaj
during a military seminar said on Monday in Teheran. Mohtaj said the Iranian
navy controls the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
The commander said the navy has been modernized over the last decade and
now has a fleet with advanced military hardware. He said the navy has also
improved its tactics amid constant exercises.
Iran has been waging a campaign to expel U.S. naval forces from the
Gulf. The campaign has included regular Iranian naval exercises as well as
lobbying of its Arab neighbors to form a regional security force to replace
the U.S presence.
In another development, Iran plans to increase the role of its
pro-regime vigilante forces. Officials said the Basij volunteer forces will
be bolstered in an effort to improve security along the Iranian border with
Afghanistan.
Ali Akbar Ramezani, a Basij commander, told the official Islamic
Republic News Agency that his force would target whom he termed bandits and
drug traffickers. Ramezani said his forces have been given weapons to stop
border infiltration.
The Basij forces have been used to crack down on reform students who
support President Mohammed Khatami. A parliamentary report accuses the Basij
and its sponsors in the clergy and security forces of attacking students and
preventing them from attending a nationwide gathering in 1999.
"From Aug. 24-27, the Revolutionary Guards and Basij participated in
criminal acts, using [state] resources," the report said.
Wednesday, November 15, 2000
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