Iran's defense minister on Friday dismissed US reports of harassment by Iranian vessels as "baseless" and said the "illegal and aggressive" American presence in the Gulf was causing insecurity in the region.
"What leads to insecurity in the Gulf region is actually the illegal and aggressive presence of the Americans who have come from the other end of the world to our borders and make such baseless claims," Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami told reporters in Tehran, according to IRNA.
The US military said Wednesday that 11 vessels from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came dangerously close to US Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Gulf, calling the moves "dangerous and provocative".
Tense incidents remain common between Iranian and US forces in the Gulf and its narrow mouth called the Strait of Hormuz. Iran seized ships last summer and the US accuses it of attacking tankers in the region amid tensions over President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrawing America from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.
Iran on Friday paraded disinfection vehicles, mobile hospitals and other medical equipment as it marked its national Army Day, to underscore the military's role in battling the coronavirus pandemic which has hit the country hard.
