In a meeting with Iranian Navy officers in the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces said that Iran's Navy is present in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in order to protect the country's interests. He added: "During their long domination over Iran, satanic governments prevented the presence of Iran's Navy in regional and international waters, but today you should make up for the past backwardness by making intensified efforts."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the history of the presence of the bullying powers in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and said: "Today the conditions are different from the past. And the long coast of this region is being controlled by an independent government and a proud and vigilant nation that knows its national power and determination, a nation that will impose its will on any political and military power and will force it to retreat by relying on God."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added: "Thanks to the powerful presence of Islamic Iran, today the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are free and independent."
Ayatollah Khamenei described the presence of US and European fleets in the region as detrimental and unpleasant and stressed: "The era in which the arrogant powers used to determine the destiny of other nations through their military presence has come to an end. Even if certain regional governments still have a tendency to follow the orders of the arrogant powers, nations of the region are vigilant and they consider foreigners' military presence in the region as a source of insecurity."
The Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces stressed: "We have not encouraged any country to cause confrontation and war and we will not do so. We will avoid any accidental or calculated confrontation as much as we can, but those who rely on bulling to bring about progress for themselves should feel that they are faced with a powerful nation."
His Eminence said that the Navy is the manifestation of the Iranian nation's power at sea. He urged the Iranian Armed Forces to continue making efforts in a sincere and determined way and added that the Islamic Republic of Iran is indebted to the youth who show the power of the Iranian nation.