Iranian defense minister condemns the presence of foreign military powers in the Persian Gulf

Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian defense minister termed the presence of foreign military powers in and around the Persian Gulf a blatant provocation, and said that it acts against the regional stability and peace.

Vahidi urged the Persian Gulf nations to solve their disputes through dialogue and urged them not to depend on the foreign powers.

The defense minister claimed that Iran was always against the presence of outside troops in the sensitive region and said that regional security can be provided by the nations themselves, if they cooperate with each other. Last week, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, the Commander of the Iranian Army had also claimed that the presence of foreign troops in the Persian Gulf causes more harm than good to the regional security. He had claimed that the international powers are provoking disputes between the Gulf nations, just to push their own agenda.

Ramin Mehmanparast, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign ministry, had also condemned the presence of extra-regional powers in the Gulf region last Tuesday. Iran is not in very good terms with the Sunni Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who depend on the US for most of their security needs. The Sunni Arab nations view Iran as a trouble maker, trying to instigate the Shiite Arab minority living in their nations against the Sunni dominated monarchies.