“Iran has taken every measure to provide security in the Strait of Hormuz, and it will never allow the security of the waterway to be jeopardized,” Najar told reporters at a press conference in Doha at the end of a two-day visit to Qatar in which he sought to forge security alliances with Qatar and other Persian Gulf littoral states.
About 40 percent of the oil traded on global markets passes through the Strait of Hormuz. It is the sole waterway that leads from the Persian Gulf into the Arabian Sea. It is just 33.6 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest and is considered the world’s most worrisome chokepoint.
Najjar said Tehran wants to expand defense ties with Qatar and all regional countries in order to protect their common interests and improve the security situation in the region.
On the Iranian armed forces’ recently concluded war game, Najjar said it was a routine exercise meant to increase the country’s military capabilities and test new equipment.
Iran would like to hold joint military maneuvers with neighboring states because “such moves are necessary to restore security in the Persian Gulf,” he added.
Commenting on the military threats against Iran, the defense minister said that under the current circumstances, it is unlikely that the United States or Israel will launch an attack on Iran because they have too many domestic and international problems to deal with.
“The U.S. is unable to tackle its problems in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Israel does not have that power after the recent war with Lebanon,” he stated.
However, the Iranian armed forces are totally prepared to respond to any attack, Najjar pointed out.
In addition, Iran’s friends in the region will never allow Iran to be attacked and will make every effort to maintain regional security because a new war would cause a crisis in every regional country, he observed.
The United States, Israel, and certain other Western countries have been threatening Iran, using allegations that the Islamic Republic is harboring a secret nuclear weapons program as a pretext.
However, Tehran has denied the charges and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear program have never found any evidence of diversion to weaponization.
Unlike Israel, Iran is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its nuclear activities are being conducted under the supervision of the IAEA.
AA/PA/HG
END
MNA