An Islamic Revolution Guards Corps commander said on Monday that US vessels patrolling the Persian Gulf had changed behavior and now abided by international regulations.
Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei’s remarks cited by Tasnim News Agency followed last week’s comments by US military officials that the Iranian military had halted alleged routine “harassment” of US naval vessels in the Persian Gulf, Reuters reported.
Each state accuses the other of having flouted international regulations in the sea area, which is a major trade route for oil.
In recent years, there have been periodic confrontations between the IRGC and US military in the Persian Gulf.
“We see that Americans behavior has changed. They pay more attention to international regulations and avoid approaching Iran’s territorial waters,” said Ozmaei, the IRGC fifth naval district commander.
In the first such confrontation since US President Donald Trump took office in Jan. 2017, a US Navy ship fired warning shots when an Iranian vessel allegedly approached to within 140 meters last July.
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