Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Chief, Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, said Thursday that Iran is set to carry out a "naval mobilization," while preparing "the inhabitants of the coastal areas in the south to defend their country" as the first stage of the announced plan.
Tangsiri revealed that as many as 51 fleets will participate in the plan, with 50 vessels each. He stressed that around 17.000 vessels will be prepared "as a base for the next actions of the plan," according to Mehr news.
The IRGC's Navy commander said that Iran has built 32 breakwaters across the Persian Gulf so far, noting that the number would raise up to 200.
One of the parts of the plan related to southern coastline inhabitants is aimed at "ensuring security of those regions" by " building houses and creating jobs according to the ‘naval mobilization’ plan."
Rouhani on Wednesday while addressing the 74th UNGA proposed to build a Coalition for Hope in the region with all the countries affected by recent developments.
Rouhani argued that the initiative includes “various venues for cooperation,” among which would be the "collective supply of energy security, freedom of navigation, free transfer of oil and other resources to and from the Strait of Hormuz and beyond."
The situation in the Persian Gulf remains tense after several tankers were attacked over the summer in a waterway vital for global oil shipments, prompting the United States to blame the incidents on sanction-hit Iran and boost its own military presence in the region.
In July, Tehran seized the UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz over an alleged breach of international maritime regulations. The move came two weeks after Iran's own Grace 1 oil tanker was seized by UK Marines near Gibraltar over an alleged violation of EU sanctions against Syria.