Red Sea ‘no longer safe’ for US vessels: Iran commander

By Ahmet Dursun

ANKARA

An Iranian military commander on Thursday warned that the Red Sea would “no longer be safe” for U.S. vessels amid an ongoing war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian military officials.

The remarks, made by Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, come amid tensions between Tehran and Washington that have steadily mounted since Trump withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the West.

Speaking to Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Aman television channel, Soleimani said: "Red Sea will no longer be safe for Americans. Quds force is U.S. troops' match."

He asserted: “Trump should draw a lesson from his predecessors.”

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia suspended crude oil transfers through the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait after two of its oil tankers were allegedly attacked by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels off Yemen’s coast.

Days earlier, Trump -- addressing Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani -- tweeted: “Never, ever threaten the U.S. again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have suffered.”

Upping the ante, Iranian Military Chief-of-Staff Mohammad Bakiri responded to Trump’s warning by saying that all U.S. military bases in the region were “within range” of potential Iranian attack.