Iranian navy commander said that United States must leave Persian Gulf, condemning its decision to increase its military presence in the region.

Iran Press/Iran news: “The presence of the Americans in the Persian Gulf region has reached its end and they must leave the region,” Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said on Sunday.

Washington is seeking to increase the likelihood of war by sending an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, he added according to Iran Press report.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said on Sunday the US military presence in the Gulf used to be a serious threat but now represents a target.

“An aircraft carrier that has at least 40 to 50 planes on it and 6,000 forces gathered within it was a serious threat for us in the past but now it is a target and the threats have switched to opportunities,” Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Guards’ aerospace division said. 

The IRGC commander emphasized that Iran's missiles are capable of targeting US vessels from a distance of 300 kilometers and the new missiles have an even enhanced range of 700 kilometers, which enables them to hit targets beyond the Persian Gulf.

The Pentagon announced on Friday that the US is deploying an amphibious assault ship and a Patriot missile battery to bolster an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers already sent to the Persian Gulf.

Last week, the White House announced it would send the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and the bombers into the Persian Gulf to counter Tehran. The USS Abraham Lincoln on Thursday passed through the Suez Canal on its way to the Persian Gulf. 101

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Iran has been guarantor of Persian Gulf security for centuries