Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami vowed on Thursday that the military will deliver a "decisive response" to the US if any hostilities break out in the Persian Gulf.
"We declare to the Americans that we are absolutely determined and serious... and that all action will be met with a decisive response that will be efficient and quick," Salami told state television on Thursday.
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The threat is the latest escalation in a long-simmering row between the two adversaries and comes just a day after US President Donald Trump authorized the Navy to open fire and "destroy" Iranian gunboats if they harass American warships in the Gulf.
"We have also ordered our naval units to target [US boats and forces] if they try to endanger the safety of our ships or boats of war," he added.
Trump took to Twitter Wednesday after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched the Islamic Republic's first military satellite.
The US president said he had "instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea."
Salami said last week's maritime incident was the result of "unprofessional and dangerous behavior by the Americans in the Persian Gulf."
The Guards commander also indicated that US actions in the sensitive waterway had been hampered by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Iran and the United States are among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
