IRGC Naval Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi (pictured) called for expelling US naval presence from the Gulf. Photo: The Iran Project.

Iranian brass attacked US presence in the Persian Gulf and called for regional cooperation to counteract it, semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guard navy, said, “Figures show that 49 percent targeted ships (580 vessels) were hit during the last 18 months of Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) when the Americans were present in the Persian Gulf.”  This was his way of illustrating that US presence was a source of conflict, rather than security, as the Americans claim.

But, he said, since Iran and the Gulf States attached great important to security in the Gulf, they must work together in order to ensure it is a process that does not involve outsiders, particularly the US.