Reuters - Iran’s defence minister on Friday dismissed U.S. reports of harassment by Iranian vessels as “baseless” and said the “illegal and aggressive” American presence in the Persian Gulf was causing insecurity in the region.

“What leads to insecurity in the Persian Gulf region is actually the illegal and aggressive presence of the Americans who have come from the other end of the world to our borders and make such baseless claims,” Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami told reporters in Tehran, according to IRNA.

The US military said Wednesday that 11 vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came dangerously close to U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Persian Gulf, calling the moves “dangerous and provocative”.

Writing by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens