Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:36:47 (Tehran)

An Iranian commander says the recent developments in the Persian Gulf should remind the US that Tehran will defend the Strait of Hormuz.
"The US' ridiculous charade in the Strait of Hormuz was a provocative act; hawkish White House officials wanted to test public opinion with their bogus scenario," Brigadier General Seyyed Masoud Jazayeri, the Deputy Head of the Armed Forces Headquarters said Saturday, in a statement.
The statement, a copy of which obtained by Press TV, added the unsuccessful propaganda war against Iran has made the US a laughingstock.
It said the move by the US indicated that the White House is run by warmongering neoconservative.
The Iranian commander said public opinion considers the fake footage of the incident released by the Pentagon as 'a joke'.
He called on Washington to withdraw its fleet from the region, saying the presence of the US in the Persian Gulf destabilizes the Middle East.
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=38499§ionid=351020101

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