IRGC says U.S. forces have withdrawn 1,000 km from Iran
The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, the elite units of the armed forces) Ali Fadavi said that American forces had withdrawn more than 1,000 km from the republic's borders.
"The Americans fled and withdrew more than 1,000 km from our borders. This was not their choice, but the result of the influence of the Islamic Republic and the might of the IRGC ground forces," he said on state television.
According to the military commander, American ships are absent for the first time from the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman and the northern part of the Indian Ocean. He stressed that the strait has been under Iran's control for several months already.
Fadavi also stated that the United States had failed to achieve any of the goals it set during the war. According to him, Tehran, together with Muscat, has developed and is applying shipping rules in the Strait of Hormuz, despite Washington's attempts to influence the situation in the region.
In addition, the IRGC commander noted that captains are forced to use the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz because of insurance and financial obligations, but he warned that vessels passing along this route could at any moment "be subjected to action" by Iran's armed forces. He drew attention to the fact that only 3-4 million barrels of oil per day are currently being transported along the alternative route outside the zone designated by Tehran, which is significantly less than prewar volumes.
The United States and Israel began the war with Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, on the night of July 8, the United States resumed large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreements reached with respect to the Strait of Hormuz. Approximately 25% of the world's oil trade volumes and about 20% of liquefied natural gas are transported through it. The American administration then effectively signaled an end to the use of large-scale military force against Iran and a shift to an attempt to economically strangle it through sanctions.
Source: TASS
