Trump can send ships into Persian Gulf ‘if he dares,’ Iran warns

Iran dismissed US claims that its naval capabilities have been destroyed, warning that US President Donald Trump can send ships into the Persian Gulf “if he dares.”

“The Strait of Hormuz is completely under the management of the IRGC Navy and Iran has complete sovereignty,” said Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naini, a spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“Doesn’t Trump say that he destroyed the Iranian Navy? So if he dares, he can send his ships into the Persian Gulf region,” he added.

Naini also claimed that Iran has so far launched around 700 missiles and 3,600 drones at US and Israeli targets.The war will be over when “the enemy” recognizes the strength of Iran’s military and social deterrence, Naini asserted, adding: “We seek to punish the aggressor and continue our heavy and destructive attacks on the enemy.”

⁠Since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hostilities have escalated.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. It has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since early March.