Iran says it has 100 vessels to confront each US warship

TEHRAN, Iran Iran has set aside 100 military vessels to confront each US warship that poses a threat, a former naval chief in the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guard said Saturday.

Gen. Morteza Saffari was quoted by the conservative weekly Panjereh as saying that troops aboard US warships are "morsels" for Iran to target in the event of any American threat against Iran.

In 2008, Iran put its most powerful military force, the Revolutionary Guard, in charge of defending the country's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, a vital oil route.