Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has condemned the United States’ attempts to set up a military coalition in the Persian Gulf to counter what it calls the “Iran threat,” stressing that the presence of extra-regional military forces in the strategic region will act as a “source of insecurity.”
Zarif, in a post published on his official Twitter page on Friday, described the Persian Gulf as a vital lifeline, and accordingly a national security priority for Iran.
He added that Iran has long acted as the guarantor of maritime security in the body of water, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic will not be reluctant to safeguard its security.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi pointed to “illegitimate existence” of the Israeli regime in the Middle East as a source of insecurity and instability.
He highlighted that Iran considers possible Israeli presence in a US-led coalition in the Persian Gulf as a clear threat to its national security, and reserves the right to counter it.
“Within the framework of the country’s deterrence and defensive policy, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to counter this threat and defend its territory,” Mousavi noted.
“The US regime and the illegitimate Zionist regime are responsible for all the consequences of this dangerous move,” the spokesman added.
Iranian Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami earlier warned that Israeli participation in the mission would be “highly provocative, and could have disastrous consequences for the region”. Like Zarif, he also lambasted any foreign presence, while Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami branded a potential operation in the Gulf as a “coalition of demons” and warned that Israel’s existence would be threatened with “irreversible collapse” in the event of a military conflict between the US and Iran.
Source: Agenceis
