Deputy Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters Brigadier General Ali Shadmani said that the US-proposed plan to form a coalition in the Persian Gulf to escort the vessels has already failed, stressing the need for cooperation among the regional states to establish security.
"The Americans have from the very first day declared that they would not undertake any expense to escort the ships; therefore, the Islamic Republic thinks that the plan for a coalition to escort the ships has already failed," General Shadmani said on Monday.
He said deployment of the US and its allies in the region stirs crisis and is a destabilizing move, and said, "The Islamic Republic's position is that the Persian Gulf security should be established within the framework of a regional coalition and by the littoral states."
Elsewhere, General Shadmani advised the Persian Gulf Arab states to avoid inciting the enemies into war against Iran as the Islamic Republic will certainly be the winner of any war and the countries which persuade the conflict will certainly receive destructive blows.
The United States has been trying to persuade its allies into an international coalition with the declared aim of providing “security” for merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — which accommodates around a third of global seaborne oil traffic —and other strategic Middle Eastern shipping lanes.
Washington’s call has, however, been met with little interest from Washington’s allies, which are concerned that joining such an alliance could drag them into a conflict with Iran.
The French are noncommittal, while Germany, Italy and Sweden have rejected joining the alliance.
Late last month, Commander of Iran's Army Major General Abdolrahim Moussavi said the US had proposed formation of a military coalition in the Persian Gulf to blackmail the regional states.
"Sustainable security is achieved through regional cooperation and convergence among the regional states and therefore, the region will naturally be secure for those actors who want security, and insecure for the pirates and those who foment insecurity," General Moussavi said in Tehran.
He referred to the US attempts to form a coalition in the Persian Gulf as a new devilish plot which would lead to insecurity, and said, "It will harm the regional countries and those who depend on this region's oil."
General Moussavi said that the Americans were actually after a new plot to blackmail the regional states, and stressed, "As long as our Armed Forces are concerned, they will not compromise even an iota in the establishment of security and fight against insecurity."
Fars News Agency
