IRGC Threatens Retaliation If US Seizes Iranian Vessels
The Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) has threatened to respond in kind if the United States seizes Iranian vessels, as the US has augmented its forces in the Persian Gulf.
The Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) has threatened to respond in kind if the United States seizes Iranian vessels, as the US has augmented its forces in the Persian Gulf.
Speaking at a ceremony on Monday, spokesperson of the Guards, Ramazan Sharif claimed that Iran’s military power is at a level to confront the United States.
“The enemies of the Iranian nation are well aware of its power, especially its military capabilities to confront all threats and plots. We remind once again that mischiefs by America will be met with reciprocal action of the Islamic Republic,” Sharif said.
Iran attempted to seize two commercial vessels in early July in the Persian Gulf but was met with a US response and withdrew, according to the Pentagon. Tehran has harassed or seized more than 15 commercial ships in the past two years in the general area of the Persian Gulf.
Anticipating more Iranian action, the White House announced in May that the Biden administration would be making moves in the region, but at the time did not say what they would include.
Later, the Pentagon began to augment the US military presence in the region by deploying F-16 and F-35 warplanes in July and also dispatching three additional naval vessels carrying more than 3,000 sailors, including Marines.
The forces from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) that sailed in mid-July from bases in the US reached the Red Sea on Monday.
Last week, the Pentagon said it is ready to offer onboard armed protection to commercial vessels in the region. Media in Tehran characterized this move as unprecedented and headlines appeared flagging higher chances of a military clash.
Ramazan Sharif in his speech underlined that “We thank the Almighty that Islamic Iran has reached such a degree of power that it is capable of confronting every American mischief, such as responding in kind and seizing their vessels.”
In April, US seized an Iranian oil tanker and in the past it has also confiscated cargos from tankers carrying sanctioned Iranian oil.
In recent months, many media reports have spoken of secret diplomatic efforts to control the tensions with Iran, including releasing Tehran’s frozen funds from countries such as Iraq and South Korea in return for a pledge by Iran not to further increase its uranium enrichment to weapons grade levels.
So far, except a US sanctions waiver to Iraq for a partial release of funds no changes have taken place. Parallel to discussions about Iran’s nuclear program, the US is also trying to secure the release of several American dual-nationals held hostage in Iran. Apparently, the release of $7 billion held in South Korea is the price for releasing the prisoners. But a new complication has emerged with reports that while talks were taking place, Tehran arrested two more individuals, bringing the total to five hostages.
Reporters on Monday pressed the State Department spokesperson Matt Miller for clarification if a fifth person has been seized, but he refused to confirm the news, which was reported by a local newspaper in Iran.
After more than two years of attempting diplomacy with the Islamic Republic, the Biden administration is coming under pressure by its critics, who demand a tougher posture toward Iran and a more vigorous enforcement of economic sanctions.
The office of the British Prime Minister reiterated Monday that the Islamic Republic regime poses a “significant threat” to the country with “direct threats” to dissidents living in the UK.
The statement by the 10 Downing Street came a day after reports emerged of Home Secretary Suella Braverman labeling the IRGC as “the single biggest threat” to Britain’s national security amid fresh evidence of its reach.
As pressure is growing on the British government to proscribe the IRGC, The Sunday Times quoted a source close to the home secretary as saying that “The Iranian threat is the one that worries us the most,” adding that Braverman fears that the outfit is stepping up its activities, attempting to recruit members of organized crime gangs to target opponents of the regime.
In November 2022, Iran International was warned by authorities that its journalists were under threat from Iranian agents and after initial security measures around its headquarters in London, the television network temporarily relocated its broadcasts to Washington DC. Later, one suspect was arrested and is facing trial.
British media quoted the Prime Minister's spokesman Max Blain as saying that London had already taken “strong action” against Tehran, but the government is divided whether the IRGC should be banned as a terrorist group, with the Foreign Office reportedly reluctant to back the move over fears it would cause lasting diplomatic damage. Last month, the British government again rejected calls to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist group in favor of expanding the criteria by which its supporters and affiliated companies can be put under sanctions.
Asked if Braverman was echoing the government's view, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said, “Certainly we think that the behavior of the Iranian regime, including the actions of the IRGC, pose a significant threat to the safety and security of the UK and of our allies.”
Refraining from clarifying the opposing views about the designation of the IRGC, the spokesperson said, “I can’t get into speculation around who we may or may not be considering proscribing in the future.” But he said the government had “a range of tools at our disposal” and would make decisions based on using the most effective measures “to curb Iran’s destabilizing activity”.
The issue of nuclear proliferation and “direct threats against dissidents in the UK” were particularly concerning, the spokesman emphasized, highlighting the high number of threats to kill or kidnap British citizens or people based in the UK in just over a year.
“We’ve identified 15 credible threats by the Iranian regime to kill or kidnap British or UK-based individuals since 2022,” he said.
Referring to the measures taken by London, he said that “we have rightly taken strong action, including sanctions, and we’ve announced new powers to give the UK a greater ability to target Iran’s key decision makers.” “We have sanctions on 350 Iranian individuals and entities,” he underlined.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani reacted to the statement attributed to UK Home Secretary Braverman, the UK is in no place to make such “baseless” claims.
“The UK is not in a position to make accusations against the IRGC with its dark history in West Asia, which has caused deep instability in the region, as well as its role in covert and overt support of terrorism,” Kanaani said during his weekly press briefing in Tehran on Monday, claiming that “The IRGC has provided many services not only to the regional countries but also to the European states.”
The remarks by Downing Street and Braverman came just after Iran's IRGC commanders were revealed to be spreading extremist antisemitic propaganda in UK universities via a London student organization. The Sunday Times disclosed details of the close relationship between the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Students Association set up to promote religious and political views of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder and first Supreme Leader of the regime who ruled until his death in 1989.
According to an investigation by the Jewish Chronicle, since early 2020, at least eight IRGC leaders addressed British student audiences during events hosted by the center, trying to radicalize them.
In the wake of the new revelations, Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, led calls to proscribe the IRGC to outlaw its propaganda activities. “The case for strong preventive action seems clear-cut,” he said.
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said, “The invitation of IRGC commanders and other speakers who glorify its actions to speak to British students is incredibly concerning. Robust action is needed now.”
Tory MP Alicia Kearns, the chair of the Foreign Affairs committee, condemned the organization's activities, stating, “In organizing such despicable talks, the Islamic Students Association of Britain acts at best as a willing propaganda arm of the Iranian regime, and at worst as an agitator for state sponsored terrorism.”
The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, a conservative daily critical of Raisi's economic and foreign policies throughout the past two years, stated that halfway through his presidency, Raisi can no longer blame the previous government for his failures. The daily also reminded that unlike his predecessors, Raisi enjoyed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's wholehearted support and had likeminded conservatives dominating the other branches of the government supporting him.
The daily went on to say that despite what Raisi thought during his first days in office, by now he must know that no one can run the affairs of the state without a balanced foreign policy. He should also realize that Iran's membership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and his government's ties with China, Russia, and some Latin American and African states have not helped the people and could be even harmful to the economy.
An 83-percent increase in printing money, a 95-percent rise in the rate of exchange for the US dollar and a 114-percent price increases for essential goods also show that Raisi and his colleagues have no true understanding of the country's situation and the impact of foreign policy on worsening conditions, the daily added.
The issue of the regime’s anti-West foreign policy and its failure to resolve the nuclear dispute with the United States have become key issues in recent months as US sanctions cripple the economy.
Centrist daily Ham Mihan published analysis by several experts about Raisi's dismal record. The daily wrote that he has badly failed in controlling inflation and meeting his promises to create one million jobs and build one million homes every year.
Ham-Mihan noted that Raisi had to reshuffle his economic team several times during the past two years to no avail, and the performance of his economic team cannot be defended. As an example, Ham-Mihan noted that the US dollar has nearly redoubled during the past two years against the rial, which has fallen from 250,000 per dollar to nearly 500,000.
The experts told Ham-Mihan that Raisi has failed to facilitate growth for businesses. The experts also criticized the Raisi administration for not having any economic plans, and for making bureaucracy more complicated than it used to be. Even projects such as selling government assets have not met their objectives, because instead of leading to productivity they simply maximized the profits of insider groups.
The experts charged that there is no prospect for any improvement in the economy, which the government is simply unable to manage. They attributed that to "The President's inefficiency, the conflicts of interests between various groups of his supporters and more conflicts among various parts of the government."
Meanwhile, in a report on the state of the economy halfway through Raisi's presidency, economic daily Donya-ye Eghtesad wrote that Raisi should re-consider and review all of his policies for the second half of his presidency. "The inflation rate, lack of economic growth, the high risks involved in doing business in Iran, and low investment rates are among the problems that need to be tackled," the daily wrote.
While the inflation rate was 14.7 percent in the first year and 12.7 percent in the second year of President Hassan Rouhani's presidency, the Raisi administration has been struggling with a 49.1% inflation rate in its first year and a 39.4% inflation rate in its second year, the paper said, citing official figures considered by experts to be too low.