“No country or coalition, except countries of the Persian Gulf region, can provide the area with security,” the Chief Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami told reporters on the sideline of inaugurating some civil projects in Mashhad, northeast Iran.
“We believe in a regional security system run by the cooperation of Persian Gulf countries,” he said, adding that presence of foreign forces has no other result than sowing further insecurity.
“Past experiences show that whenever other powers sought to set foot in the region with the claim of ensuring security, they only led to the escalation of tensions and even wars,” said Salami.
The United States has announced plans to form the coalition to supposedly protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following a series of mysterious attacks on oil tankers in the strait and the Sea of Oman.
Washington has accused Iran of having a hand in those attacks, a claim Tehran has strongly rejected. Tehran has warned that such sabotage operations may be part of a general ploy to target Iran amid increasing regional tensions.
The US has asked its allies to join the coalition, a call which has not been warmly received over fears that such a mission could lead to tensions with Iran.
MNA/IRN 83446585