'Security of Strait of Hormuz red line for Iran'

Stability and security of the Strait of Hormuz are Iran’s red line, Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said on Monday, according to Iran’s Young Journalists Club (YJC) news agency, reports Anadolu Agency.

Speaking at Caspian Sea economic forum held in Turkmenistan, Jahangiri said presence of foreign forces in Persian Gulf “causes instability and increases tension.”

Jahangiri added:

Security of the region can and should be established only by regional countries. Stability and security of international waters, as well as northern and southern coasts and Strait of Hormuz, are Iran’s red line.

Jahangiri described the US presence in the Persian Gulf as “provocative” and accused Washington of spreading instability and insecurity.

READ: US turning Gulf region into ‘tinderbox’

He said the unilateral policy of the US imposing sanctions and threats against Iran jeopardized the stability and security in the region, which, Jahangiri warned, created significant problems in the international arena.

Tensions in the Gulf of Hormuz – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]