TEHRAN (FNA)- Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi underlined that security in the Persian Gulf can only be established by the regional countries, and deployment of the US forces in the region has provoked insecurity.

"Figures show that 49 percent targeted ships (580 vessels) were hit during the last 18 months of Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) when the Americans were present in the Persian Gulf," Admiral Fadavi said in a meeting with a visiting high-ranking Omani military delegation in Tehran on Tuesday.

The IRGC Navy commander reiterated that the US presence in the region increases insecurity contrary to their claims that they want to establish regional security, and said, "If the Americans had not come to the region, the insecurities would have been declined nine times."

Iran has repeatedly complained about the negative outcomes of the US military deployment in the region.

In relevant remarks in late October, Commander of IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the US military buildup should be blamed as the root cause of insecurity in the region.

"Islamic Iran is known as a stable island in the region despite the current insecurities in the region and this security is the result of the endeavors of our warriors," General Hajizadeh told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony held in Tehran to commemorate IRGC martyred commanders.

The IRGC is responsible for the security of the Persian Gulf. In 2008, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, former commander of the IRGC and the current military advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, declared that the responsibility for defending the Persian Gulf had been handed over to the IRGC.

Iran's naval power has even been acknowledged by foes. In a Sep. 11, 2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the IRGC has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.

According to the report, the IRGC Navy has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world's oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.

The study says that if Washington takes military action against the Islamic Republic, the scale of Iran's response would likely be proportional to the scale of the damage inflicted on Iranian assets.

By Fars News Agency