“For no doubt, no country other than Iran and the regional countries are capable of ensuring the security of Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and regional waters,” he said referring to the presence of foreign naval fleet in the Persian Gulf.
He chastised the presence of US forces in the region blaming them as the main source of insecurity.
Iran has even the power to ensure the security of the whole region, he added.
US is leading a mission in the Persian Gulf, known as the international maritime security construct (IMSC). It has asked its allies to join the initiative.
Rejecting UK' offer to join the US-led mission New Zealand's Defense Minister Ron Mark announced Wednesday that his country has no boats to send to Strait of Hormuz.
However, as reported, Australia has announced readiness for being a member of the American coalition.
The United Kingdom and Bahrain are presently the only other countries to join the US in the Strait of Hormuz, but the UK has appealed to European allies to join the mission to safeguard shipping lanes.
Key Washington allies Germany and Japan have refused to join, and France has expressed reservations about the US’ provocative initiative.
On August 6, Israeli regime’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that they will be part of the US-led anti-Iran coalition. Iran reacted to the announcement, warning that Washington and Tel Aviv would be responsible for the consequences of such a decision.
On August 13, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Al Jazeera "we believe that the best the US can do for the protection of maritime navigation is to just leave people alone; don't interfere," underscoring that the US naval build-up and presence in the Persian Gulf could destabilize the entire region.
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