Iran again states it claim to the Gulf

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.