Spokesman’s Reaction to Israeli Presence in US-Led Coalition

August 9, 2019

Weapon Program: 

  • Military

Related Country: 

  • Israel

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi says the possible Israeli presence in a self-proclaimed US-led military coalition in the Persian Gulf is a clear threat to Iran’s national security, and the country reserves the right to counter it.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi says the possible Israeli presence in a self-proclaimed US-led military coalition in the Persian Gulf is a clear threat to Iran’s national security, and the country reserves the right to counter it.

Mousavi made the remarks on Friday in reaction to reports of the Zionist regime’s declaration of its preparedness to join a US-led military coalition to “protect the safety of navigation” in the Persian Gulf.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran believes the coalition is tension-provoking in nature,” the spokesman said.

Mousavi referred to the occupying regime’s “illegitimate existence in the Middle East” as the “basis of insecurity and instability”, and said Iran considers any Israeli presence in this coalition as “a clear threat to its security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and a crisis-provoking and destabilizing element in the Persian Gulf Region.”

"The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to counter this threat and defend its territory within the framework of the country's deterrence and defensive policy, and will have no hesitation in translating it into action as part of its defensive policies," he noted.

"The US regime and the illegitimate Zionist regime are responsible for all the consequences of this dangerous move," the spokesman said.

Referring to the US’ attempts to form a military coalition or hold a maritime security conference in the future on the pretext of ensuring the safety of navigation in the Persian Gulf, Mousavi said, “Iran as one of the Persian Gulf littoral states with 1,500 miles of coastline in this region considers the Persian Gulf as part of its territory, and feels committed to ensure its security and the safety of the navigation of ships in this region based on its historical responsibility.”

“Iran believes the presence of ultra-regional forces in the Persian Gulf under any name and title will not only fail to help reinforce the region's security, but will more than ever prepare the grounds for tension and crisis in the sensitive Persian Gulf region," he added

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its opposition to the formation of such coalitions, and considers it as a tension-provoking and deceitful measure.”

He also noted that the organizers, founders, and members of such coalitions will be regarded as the main culprits behind possible tensions and crises that would emanate from such moves.