Iran Says US Fleet Retreats More Than 1,000 Kilometers

By Staff, Agencies

Iran has forced the US fleet to retreat more than 1,000 kilometers from its borders, leaving no American warships in the Strait of Hormuz or surrounding waters, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander claimed.

Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi made the remarks in a televised interview, Press TV reported Monday, amid competing claims by Washington and Tehran over control of the strategic waterway, through which around one-fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies passed before the conflict.

“The Americans fled and moved more than 1,000 km away from our borders. This was not their choice; it was due to the authority of the Islamic Republic and the authority of the IRGC Ground Force,” Fadavi said.

He claimed that no US vessels remain in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Sea of Oman or northern Indian Ocean, describing American warships as “100 percent vulnerable” to Iranian attacks.

Fadavi insisted that the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian control and warned that ships using what he described as the US-supervised southern route could be targeted.

On Monday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a tanker near Oman complied with an IRGC instruction to turn back or risk attack.

Meanwhile, the United States continues to enforce its naval blockade of Iranian ports. US Central Command said last week that it had redirected 125 commercial vessels since July to ensure compliance.

The standoff has continued despite indirect negotiations. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday that Hormuz would not reopen until Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions.

Under Iran’s seven-day proposal, passage through the strait would be restored and nuclear negotiations resumed in exchange for lifting the blockade, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports and releasing frozen Iranian assets.

US President Donald Trump rejected the terms and threatened to “annihilate” Iran if talks fail. Axios and The Wall Street Journal have reported that major US combat operations could resume after the November midterm elections.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran remains committed to diplomacy while maintaining its readiness to defend against another attack.