Iran says America has no business in the Persian Gulf

The United States has no business in the Persian Gulf and should not have a naval presence there, Iranian General Alireza Tangsiri, navy chief in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said Monday.

"We can ensure the security of the Persian Gulf, and there is no need for the presence of aliens like the U.S. and the countries whose home is not in here," Tangsiri said, his comments reported in state-run media. "All the carriers and military and nonmilitary ships will be controlled and there is full supervision over the Persian Gulf. Our presence in the region is physical and constant and night and day."

As U.S.-Iran tensions have risen in the wake of President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, U.S. officials have indicated an intent to reduce Iranian oil exports, which go through the Gulf, to zero. Iran has pledged to respond in kind, likely by attempting to block all traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at the Persian Gulf's gate.

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These mutual threats are not a new development in U.S.-Iran relations. See a map of the U.S. military presence in and around the Persian Gulf here, and read The Week's guide to how the threats might play out.