TEHRAN (FNA)- Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi downplayed Riyadh's capability to threaten Iran militarily, and said Tehran is able to strike heavy blows at Saudi Arabia if necessary.

"If needed, we can inflict irreparable damage at the Saudis," Fadavi said, addressing a forum in Tehran on Saturday.

Noting that despite Saudi Arabia's possession of giant vessels, none of them passes through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf which is under Iran's control, he said sometimes some of them which seek to sail towards the Red Sea are compelled to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, "but they don’t have any patrolling mission".

"Not only Saudi Arabia, but also none of the Persian Gulf littoral states enjoys the capability to threaten and launch attack on the Islamic Republic," Fadavi added.

He, meantime, underlined that despite certain analyses, the US and not Saudi Arabia is the main enemy of Iran, adding that the Saudis also take order from Washington.

In relevant remarks in May, Admiral Fadavi downplayed the US power, and said no naval force in the world dares to threaten the IRGC Navy and its speedboats.

"We at the IRGC Navy and in the sea give no care to the US power and our speedboats don’t recognize the US aircraft carriers" as a power, Fadavi said, addressing a ceremony in the Southern city of Bandar Abbas.

"No one dares to give a dirty look at Iran let alone launching a war," he added.

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations held in front of its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad by angry protesters censuring the Al Saud family for the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Riyadh on January 2.

Nimr’s execution caused international outrage and sparked anti-Saudi demonstrations in many other countries.

Riyadh has been attempting to rock the boat in relations between Iran and other world states and has spared no efforts to pressure Tehran.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) claimed in April that Mahan Air was banned due to alleged violations of local safety rules. The GACA claimed in a statement that several violations related to airline safety had been committed by Mahan Air.

Immediately after the announcement, Director of Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh said Iranian airlines had never tried to land or make any request to fly in the Saudi airspace.

In a statement at the time, Jafarzadeh said Saudi authorities should explain why they claim they have withdrawn licenses given to Mahan Air to land in the Persian Gulf kingdom or fly in its airspace over ‘safety’ claims.

“No Iranian airline, including Mahan Air, has ever asked to land in Saudi Arabia or fly in its airspace. Iranian airlines have stopped their flight services to Saudi Arabia altogether. It just doesn’t make any sense for the Saudis to question the safety of Iranian jet airliners,” he added.

This is while trade between Iran and Saudi Arabia has mostly been small and each year only Iranian pilgrims travel to the kingdom for the Hajj pilgrimage.

Also in April, Ground Force Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said Saudi Arabia is masterminding terrorist attacks on the Islamic Republic by training and funding terrorist groups along the borders.

Speaking to reporters, Pakpour said Iran has arrested terrorists that have confessed to their affiliation to Saudi Arabia and some other Persian Gulf Arab states.

Pakpour said Riyadh is striving hard to make Iran insecure, and added, "Right now, countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are engaged in organizing and equipping these groups but the reason why no terrorist act is committed is due to our preparedness."

By Fars News Agency