Tehran, Nov 21 (IANS): Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has had a number of "direct battles" with the US forces in the Gulf, in which nine of its forces have been "martyred", Alireza Tangsiri, the navy commander of the IRGC, announced on Sunday.

Tangsiri said that the nine soldiers died to "defend the territory of our beloved country", adding the IRGC has made the US "realise the sovereignty of the Islamic republic in the maritime arena", Xinhua news agency reported.

Tangsiri did not mention the time of the clashes or how the nine Iranian soldiers were killed in a "direct battle with the US forces". For some considerations, some of the IRGC's confrontations with the US forces have not been publicised in the media, he added.

The young Iranians should know the importance of the Gulf as Iran has important resources and capacities there, noted Tangsiri.

On November 3, the IRGC said that it had thwarted a US attempt to take over the Iranian oil in the Sea of Oman after a brief confrontation.