"The Islamic Republic of Iran and the countries south of the Persian Gulf are capable of cooperating to ensure the security of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman," Iran's Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri said, as quoted by AFP.
He was speaking at a ceremony held near the strategic Strait of Hormuz to celebrate the conclusion of an eight-month long mission by the Iranian navy to circumnavigate the globe.
His comments came two days after the Mideast-based commanders of the US, British and French navies transited the Strait of Hormuz aboard an American warship.
The trip followed Iran’s recent seizure of two foreign vessels in the Persian Gulf and indications by US officials that the US military will work to bolster the defensive posture in the Gulf region in response.
In the past two years, Iran has harassed, attacked or interfered with the navigational rights of 15 internationally flagged commercial vessels, officials said.
Most recently, Iran seized the Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet on April 27 as it traveled in the Gulf of Oman. Six days later, it seized a second ship, the Niovi, a Panama-flagged tanker as it left a dry dock in Dubai.
The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy supplies, has often been a site of tense encounters between Americans and Iranian forces.
In early December, an Iranian patrol boat tried to temporarily blind US Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz by shining a spotlight toward the vessels and crossing within 150 yards of them.
Last August, an Iranian ship seized an American military unmanned research vessel in the Gulf but released it after a US Navy patrol boat and helicopter were deployed to the location.
The Islamic Republic has threatened more than once to close the Strait of Hormuz, with the United States warning Iran in response that any attempt to close the strait would be viewed as a "red line" -- grounds for US military action.
