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Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi has threatened the U.S. with the nation's navy, but it is more likely to be used in the Persian Gulf region. (Reuters)

While the U.S. haggles with Iran over nuclear weapons, the Islamic Republic is aggressively building up a navy -- a move that has regional neighbors concerned.

The focus on Tehran's nuclear weapons capabilities could be a mistake, if it comes at the exclusion of addressing the seafaring capabilities of the rogue regime, not to mention the active proxy fighting Iran is engaging in throughout the Middle East, a former U.S. Army officer with intimate knowledge of the Iranian military told FoxNews.com. And it isn't just analysts warning that Iran has plans to project power and influence around the Persian Gulf -- the nation's top military officials are rattling their sabers on a near-daily basis.

"The Americans and our enemies cannot stand up against the Islamic system's deterrence power no matter how hard they try," Navy Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, told Iranian state-run media.

International sanctions have long stunted Iran's ability to buy weapons, but the nation has nonetheless managed to acquire and even build one of the world's largest naval fleets, according to the website GlobalFirepower.com. Earlier this month, Iran touted its homemade destroyer," naval presence in international waters and "anti-surface and anti-subsurface weapons." In February, Iran staged USS Cole-style missile and rocket attacks on a mock-up of a U.S. aircraft carrier.

The U.S. 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain across the Persian Gulf from Iran.

We were aware of an exercise by Iranian naval forces involving a mockup of a vessel similar to an aircraft carrier last month, U.S. Defense Department spokesperson, Cmdr. Elissa Smith, told FoxNews.com. We are confident in our naval forces' ability to defend themselves against any maritime threat.

- Michael Connell, Iranian military analyst

Irans naval headquarters is at Bandar Abbas, the southern coastal city on the Persian Gulf. Its frigates and destroyers are based there, and most of Irans higher-profile naval exercises have been launched from Bandar Abbas. The nation operates smaller bases on the Gulf and also has bases and its naval academy on the Caspian Sea, on Irans northern border.

Kenneth Pollack, a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution who testified on regional security during a March 24 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, says Irans naval abilities include mines, missiles and traditional assets.

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Iran ramps up sea power while negotiating over nukes with the West