U.S., British, French commanders' crossing of Strait of Hormuz "theatrical" move: Iranian official

TEHRAN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian military official on Sunday shrugged off as a "theatrical" move the crossing of the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S., British and French commanders aboard a U.S. destroyer, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

The fact is that their sail across the sea, claimed to ensure security in the strait, was a "theatrical" publicity stunt, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony held in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas to welcome back an Iranian flotilla.

The United States, France and Britain should explain why they are interfering in "our region's affairs" thousands of kilometers away from their countries when the regional states are ensuring their own security in cooperation with each other, he noted.

Abbas Gholamshahi, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy's First Zone, said on Saturday that its forces "closely monitored" the U.S. Navy destroyer sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz with the three senior commanders on board, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.