Iran Protests Congress Resolution Draft and Naming of the Persian Gulf

The Iranian Foreign Ministry, in a note sent to the Swiss Embassy, which represents U.S. interests, described a draft resolution in the U.S. Congress aimed at countering the Islamic Republic's military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf as 'interventionist.' According to a report on Wednesday, April 14, by the IRNA news agency, the note emphasized that the Islamic Republic will 'act in accordance with what it deems necessary for the security of the Persian Gulf.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry also protested the use of the 'fictitious term' for naming the Persian Gulf in this draft resolution. The note strongly rejected U.S. intervention in the security affairs of the Persian Gulf region and emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran will act in accordance with what it deems necessary to ensure security and maintain peace and stability in the Persian Gulf. Randy Forbes, a Republican representative and chairman of the House Subcommittee on Seapower, accused the Islamic Republic in the draft resolution presented on May 9 of 'undermining' the security of the Persian Gulf through military maneuvers. The proposed resolution uses the term 'Arabian Gulf' to refer to the Persian Gulf and calls on the U.S. government to take action against Iran's activities in this sea. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, on Tuesday, May 13, called this resolution 'an additional mistake' and 'words bigger than the mouths of Americans,' telling U.S. officials to 'go hold exercises in the Bay of Pigs.' The Bay of Pigs operation refers to the failed invasion of Cuba by CIA-backed Cuban exiles on April 17, 1961, aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro's government. One day after the leader's remarks, Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, threatened that 'if the U.S. and its regional partners threaten,' Iran would not allow U.S. vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. This is not the first time a senior military official in Iran has threatened to use the Strait of Hormuz against other countries or regional nations. In some previous instances, the United States has reacted to these threats, stating that it would not allow such actions. The U.S. Fifth Fleet is stationed in Bahrain and, according to Washington, will respond to such potential actions if necessary. The Revolutionary Guards captured several American sailors on January 11, 2016, and they were released shortly thereafter. Washington criticized the detention of the sailors, deeming it contrary to the norms governing the world's waters. On Wednesday morning, March 6, 2015, the Revolutionary Guards also destroyed a model of an American aircraft carrier with hundreds of missiles at the beginning of a drill named 'Great Prophet 9' in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.