A Revolutionary Guard Commander: We Had Also Detained Canadian and Australian Soldiers in the Persian Gulf

The deputy commander of the Navy of the Revolutionary Guard stated that this force had previously detained Canadian and Australian soldiers in the Persian Gulf. According to a report from Fars News Agency on Wednesday, September 31, Alireza Tangsiri announced that the reason for the detention of nationals from these two countries was 'trespassing' into Iranian waters. Mr. Tangsiri did not specify when they were detained but mentioned that the Revolutionary Guard has detained American and British forces twice in the Persian Gulf. This is the first time a Revolutionary Guard commander has spoken about the detention of Canadian and Australian forces in Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf. The mentioned countries have not yet responded to this news. In recent years, news and images of the detention of American and British forces by the Revolutionary Guard in southern Iran have been published, which have received various reactions. Revolutionary Guard commanders have stated in all these cases that these forces were detained for 'illegal' entry into Iranian waters. Although the announcement of the detention of American and British forces has received significant media attention, the duration of these detentions has not been long. The last detentions were on January 22, 2016, when 10 American sailors were detained in Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf while traveling between Kuwait and Bahrain. At that time, both Iran and the U.S. confirmed that the boats had encountered technical difficulties and had inadvertently entered Iranian waters. Although all detained sailors were released less than 24 hours later, a few months later, the U.S. Navy announced that they had provided 'sensitive information' to Iranian officials. Iranian officials and Revolutionary Guard commanders have long used the detention of foreign forces in southern Iranian waters as a tool to demonstrate their influence and control over the Strait of Hormuz and the strategic Persian Gulf region. Over the years, Revolutionary Guard commanders have repeatedly warned military forces stationed in the Persian Gulf and have, in some cases, taken 'provocative' actions with speedboats equipped with light weapons near American ships in the region. The deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard Navy, in the latest of these attacks and criticisms, stated: 'Foreigners who come to the Persian Gulf are looking for dollars and salaries, but we are here to defend our home and land.'