Sputnik News- Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan advised the US to leave the Persian Gulf and stop bothering the regional countries, in response to statements made by the US military commander earlier.

�What are the Americans doing in the Persian Gulf? They should leave the area in order not to create any inconvenience to the countries of the region,� Mehr News agency reported the Iranian defense minister as saying.

�Is it acceptable for an armed robber to enter someone's house expecting that a red carpet will be laid out before him? This is one of the absurdities of our time,� the minister added.

Such a reaction on part of the Iranian Defense Minister came after the commander of the US Central Command, Army General Joseph Votel, told the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, that Iran is the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East.

He called on the country's leadership to take military action against Iran.

In an interview with Sputnik Persian, the chief editor of the newspaper Iran Press Emad Abshenass said that Iran has given a clear warning to Washington.

�The Americans traveled for 10 thousand kilometers, came to foreign lands to threaten other states. Iran has its own maritime space in the Persian Gulf, which borders international waters. Therefore, if someone does not violate this space, Iran does not show any concern,� Abshenass said.

However, in this case what will happen if Iran decides to do what the US is doing. The analyst said, �Iran in turn can also decide to conduct maneuvers in international waters, say, in the Gulf of Mexico.�

The expert said that the US is trying to invade Iranian waters or come as close as possible and that poses a threat.

�Iran cannot shut its eyes to this. The US should understand that Iran, unlike the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf which do not attach importance to their water spaces, will not remain silent,� Abshenass said.

Earlier there was a case when a US ship was detained by Iranian naval forces after it invaded the maritime territory of Iran. According to the expert it will not come as surprise if Iran reacts likewise next time also.

�It is really better for Americans not to seek adventures on their own head far from their own territory. They must remember that this is not Iraq and not Afghanistan. This is Iran. It will not allow them to do whatever they want. Iran has shown that it is afraid of nobody and it will keep its promises by giving crushing rebuffs to aggression from outside,� Abshenass concluded.

Meanwhile, the US, Iraq and Kuwait have conducted a trilateral exercise in the northern Persian Gulf, the first of its kind since 2011.