Vahidi made the remarks during a speech at the closing ceremony of the first Strategic Naval Conference, which was held in Tehran from July 11 to 13.
The U.S. is making endeavors to drive a wedge between regional countries with the aim of preventing the establishment of an indigenized security system in the region, Vahidi stated.
“However, those attempts are rooted in misanalyses and will not succeed,” he added.
The Iranian minister also said, “The U.S. has failed to establish a sustainable security system in the Persian Gulf region, and it is not possible that many vessels will maintain a permanent presence in the region.”
There is a need to develop a new security system in the Persian Gulf region, he added.
He also said, “We have had the experience of repelling U.S. attacks in the Persian Gulf region, and they (the Americans) are well aware of our naval power.”
Vahidi called the Persian Gulf the “heart of the world,” adding that the impact of any crisis that takes place in the Persian Gulf region will spread beyond this region.
In addition, he stated that the Persian Gulf region provides 40 percent of the world’s oil needs and the amount will increase to 60 percent in the future.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Vahidi described the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea as important to the Islamic Republic, saying Iran’s presence in the Red Sea will help improve security in the region.
And a number of measures have been taken to enable the Iranian Navy to have a more active presence in the Sea of Oman, he stated.
EP/AMR
END
MNA