Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, Commander Of Iran's Navy: Iran Is 'Initiating Processes' In The Atlantic Ocean: The Gates Of The Atlantic Are Open To Iran

Admiral Hossein Khanzadi commander of Iran's Navy said that in the past, Iran would only monitor American presence in the region and prepare a reaction to any possible "mischief", but now Iran is the one "initiating processes" in the Atlantic Ocean. He made his remarks in an interview that aired on Channel 1 (Iran) on July 10, 2021. Admiral Khanzadi said that the Iranian Navy is currently positioned 5,000 miles from U.S. borders. He said that while it has no plans of reaching the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. is "worried" because the "gates of the Atlantic Ocean" have been opened to Iran. Admiral Khanzadi added that while the U.S. had the "audacity" to establish military bases around Iran and to bring the fleet to its borders, claiming it is free to maintain its presence in international waters, 12 miles from Iranian shores, the Iranian Navy is 5,000 miles away from the United States. For more information about Admiral Khanzadi, see MEMRI TV clip no 7031.

Hossein Khanzadi: "So far, the Americans used to come to our region, and then they would generate conditions that would always require us to monitor their movements, to be on guard, to make plans for them, and to be ready to react in case they would initiate some mischief, and so on. Today, we are the ones who initiate processes in the Atlantic Ocean. Obviously, our presence in the Atlantic Ocean was only in response to the American claim that the Iranians would never be able [to do it]."

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Interviewer: "You can specify the exact distance, but we were at least 4,000 miles from their border."

Khanzadi: "Yes. It was about 5,000 miles."

Interviewer: "But they made so much noise about it that it seems the message same across."

Khanzadi: "Their concern was interesting to us, because we had no plans to reach the Gulf of Mexico.

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"They are worried because the gates of the Atlantic Ocean have been opened to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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"Over the years, the Americans had the audacity to build bases around the Islamic Republic. They deployed their forces and brought their airplanes and their fleet. When we ask them what they are doing here, they say that they are in free [international] waters. They consider anything beyond 12 miles from shore to be free waters. Okay, so why are they worried that the Islamic Republic of Iran has entered the Atlantic Ocean and is within 5,000 miles of their shore? We're talking 5,000 miles, not 12 miles."