Rear Admiral Tangsiri made the remarks in a televised interview where he stressed that the presence of nuclear-powered submarines in the Persian Gulf can result in marine pollution in case of an accident, which can lead to a "catastrophe" in the international waterway.

"Extra-regional countries like the United States, France and others have nuclear-powered submarines. Considering that the Persian Gulf is a closed area, if something happens to one of the submarines and the submarine's reactor faces a problem or collides with other vessels, it will cause the area to remain polluted for 11 years," he added.

Admiral Tangsiri pointed out that this means that for 11 years, there will be no fish and aquatic animals in this area, and its water will become unusable.

"In fact, the Persian Gulf region will be facing a catastrophe,” he added.

The senior commander stressed that the countries present in the region do not take their nuclear watercraft into closed bays "but they do so in the Persian Gulf while it is prohibited and this should not happen". 

Admiral Tangsiri said Iran's neighbors should know that the presence of foreign forces would not create security in the region.

“Our neighbors should never think that extra-regional countries will stay in the region to defend them; but they will [eventually] leave the region,” he said, adding that the foreigners are in the region either for selling weapons or plundering oil resources.

The Persian Gulf, spanning some 251,000 square kilometers, is bounded by the Arvand River in the north, which forms the frontier between Iran and Iraq, and the Strait of Hormuz in the south, linking the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean.

The strategic inland sea is an international trade route connecting the Middle East to Africa, India, and China.

Iranian military officials have on numerous occasions stated that the presence of extra-regional forces in the Persian Gulf is illegitimate and there is no need for them to ensure the security of the strategic waterway.