The statement came from Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of the regular army DUBAI: Iran’s armed forces will protect Iranian oil tankers against any threats, a senior Iranian military official was quoted as saying on Monday by the semi-official news agency ISNA. “Iran’s armed forces ... are prepared today as in the past to protect our fleet of oil tankers against any threats so that it can continue to use marine waterways,” said Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of the regular army, ISNA reported.