US Accuses Iran Of Endangering Navigation to Justify Its Meddlesome Presence in Gulf - Tehran

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani strongly condemned Washington’s latest accusations against Tehran, saying the United States is just trying to justify its own meddlesome presence in the region.

The spokesman made his late Monday remarks in response to recent allegations by John Kirby, who currently serves as the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House.

On May 13, Kirby said the US “will work to bolster” its “defensive posture” in the Gulf after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard [IRG]’s Navy seized two invading foreign oil tankers in the country’s territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks.

Kirby used the oft-repeated refrain that Washington will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize freedom of navigation through regional waterways.

Responding to Kirby’s remarks, Kanaani said the Islamic Republic has played the most effective role in ensuring safe naval traffic in the Gulf as well as other regional and international waters, and “has always guaranteed secure passage of ships and other vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“The recent measures taken with regard to the two seized ships were due to their violations and taken through the court verdict. The goal was to prevent behaviors and moves that are against international navigation regulations,” Kanaani noted.

He added that the United States “continues to accuse Iran while its interfering and destructive policies throughout long decades have fomented and exacerbated instability and insecurity in the Persian Gulf region.”

“The new accusations leveled against Iran are mere excuses, which are aimed at justifying the continuation and further bolstering of [the United States’] meddlesome presence in the region,” Kanaani said.

The spokesman also noted that, “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the continued presence of foreign military forces in the Gulf waters as a threat against security of marine traffic in this body of water and believes that regional countries are capable of safeguarding peace and security of navigation without [any need to] the presence of foreigners.”

“Contrary to what American officials allege, the US government endangers security of navigation and international trade by resorting to measures that violate the law of the sea and seizing some Iranian oil shipments in the high seas. It then outrageously accuses Iran,” he added.

Kanaani said Iran considers itself responsible for maintaining security of the Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz, adding, “The presence and destabilizing measures of American forces [in the Gulf] double Iran's responsibility to guarantee security of the region and the Strait of Hormuz and to deal with all lawbreakers.”