Iran rejects US allegations on security of navigation in PG
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman dismissed “unfounded” allegations by top White House official John Kirby against Tehran regarding the security of navigation in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
MEHR: Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman dismissed “unfounded” allegations by top White House official John Kirby against Tehran regarding the security of navigation in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
Kirby,, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said on Friday that the US military would work to bolster the defense posture in the Persian Gulf, and “increase coordination” with allies in the Strait of Hormuz following what he called Iran’s seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in recent months.
Naser Kan'ani rejected those comments, saying that Iran is the most influential country in protecting the security of navigation in the Persian Gulf as well as regional and international waters, and has always guaranteed the harmless passage of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Kan'ani said that the American official has leveled the accusations against Iran while the US itself has been over the past decades creating and triggering instability and insecurity in the Persian Gulf region through its “destructive and meddlesome policies.”
The new accusations against Iran are just excuses aimed at justifying the US’s continued presence in the region or increasing its meddlesome presence there, he added.
The spokesman blamed the US government for threatening the security of navigation and international trade by confiscating Iran’s oil cargos on high seas and resorting to measures that are in violation of maritime laws.
The Islamic Republic has the widest border and the highest level of interests and responsibility when it comes to protecting the security of the Persian Gulf region and the Hormuz Strait, Kan'ani said, adding that the destabilizing presence and measures by American forces double the Islamic Republic’s responsibility to guarantee the security of the region and the Strait of Hormuz and to deal with violators and those breaking laws.
The spokesman said that the Islamic Republic considers the continued presence of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf waters as a threat to the security of navigation in the strategic region, and believes that regional countries are capable of guarding peace and security in that region, without the presence of foreigners.
