Tasnim – Commander of Iran’s Border Police Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei described Western fleets of warships sailing across the Persian Gulf as “microbial viruses” and said if they leave the region, the waters will be more secure.

“The Persian Gulf does not accept microbial viruses like the fleet of Western countries’ warships,” Brigadier General Rezaei said upon his arrival in the southern province of Hormozgan on Wednesday.

“The message of all nations of the Persian Gulf region is that they (foreign fleets) should end their inauspicious presence so that the region becomes peaceful,” he added.

The top commander further emphasized that the security of the region would be stable without the presence of the West’s fleet of warships.

The remarks came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently reiterated Washington’s plan to build a maritime coalition in the Persian Gulf to deter what he called Iranian threats.

He was speaking after talks with Saudi and Emirati leaders over recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities that Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Tehran. Iran denies any involvement in the attack.

The Yemeni forces on September 14 launched drone attacks on two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry, including the world's biggest petroleum processing facility.

The attacks came in retaliation for the Saudi-led coalition’s continued aggression on the Arabian Peninsula country.