TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that the Hormuz Peace Endeavor, aka HOPE, initiatives done by Iran has been welcomed by several countries in the region.
However, he said that there are three countries in the region which are not seeking peace and they feel that if they pretend to be threatened in the region, they can open the door to the US presence, according to IRNA.
The Iranian foreign minister said some regional states believe that they can buy security.
“I think the United States has shown them that it has no obligation to their security, and it only wants their money,” he said.
Zarif added that the Iranian initiative is comprised of six countries of [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council plus Iran, Iraq and Yemen.
The HOPE initiatives in the region was proposed by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani at the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly last year.
In an address to the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in September 25, President Rouhani said as a steward of maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Iran invites all countries that are affected by developments in the strategic region to join the Hormuz Peace Endeavor.
The initiative aims to promote peace, stability, progress and prosperity for littoral states and to help achieve mutual understanding and establish peaceful and friendly relations among the neighbors, he said.
Iran introduced the HOPE plan after several oil tankers were targeted in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman last year.
The US and its ally Saudi Arabia quickly blamed Iran for the attacks.
Tehran rejected the accusations and said the incidents appear to be false flags meant to frame the Islamic Republic.
- source : Iran Daily, Irannews
