Article Posted on : - Apr 24, 2011

A file photo of an Iranian missile.

TEHRAN (AP): The commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard has said his forces are expanding their capabilities to retaliate against possible enemy attacks from outside the Gulf.

General Mohammad Ali Jafari said Iran can strike back against foreign warships launching attacks against Iran from as far away as the Indian Ocean.

Jafari made the comments in an interview with the semi-official Fars news agency Saturday.

He made no direct mention of the US, but his remarks are a clear reference to American forces in the region.

Iran has sought to expand the range of its missiles and display a stronger naval presence in the region, including sending two warships in February into the Mediterranean for a stop at a Syrian port.