IRGC navy commander Alireza Tangsiri asserted that “every ship that enters the Persian Gulf is monitored in the Strait of Hormuz, citing the law on channel control, and is forced to introduce itself”. He also contended that the “strategic position of the Persian Gulf has to some extent led to regional challenges, including the fierce competition in the field of military arms sales… The wrong policies of some countries in the Persian Gulf have created a kind of market for the sale and trade of arms between the transregional and western countries in the Persian Gulf”. A U.S. defence official subsequently noted “no such requirement” regarding identification, adding: “It’s an international strait, and we continue to sail and operate in accordance with international law and international custom”.