Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi defended the country’s regular military exercises, which are widely perceived to be destabilizing sabre rattling, by insisting to reporters that “Iran is the most important security provider in the region.” Vahidi’s reassurance will likely be undercut by statements from Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Deputy Commander Hussein Salami to the effect that Iran “control[s] the security of the Persian Gulf critical economic resources.” It also sits uneasily with recent rhetoric from IRGC Navy head Ali Fadavi, who stated in the context of upcoming naval war games that “Americans do not know the power of the IRGC Navy.”

[Photo: unknown / Wiki Commons]