TEHRAN (Iran News) – The managing director of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, has said that the Iranian delegation plans to put forward the HOPE initiative at the International Maritime Organization, IMO summit in London.

In an interview with the IRIB on Monday, Mohammad Rastad said that security in the region must be maintained by the regional countries.

Rastad also said, “The Iranian delegation will stress that the United States, as a member state to the International Maritime Organization, has created limitations for Iran through sanctions and has threatened other countries to cut cooperation with Iran.”

The behavior of the U.S. is against the IMO convention, he lamented.

The summit was scheduled to open on November 25 and end on December 4 in London.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi announced on Monday that three countries have accepted to join Iran’s Hormuz peace initiative.

“Three countries have given written response to Iran’s invitation and other countries are studying it,” Mousavi told a regular press briefing.

He did not name the countries.

At the United Nations summit in New York in late September, Iran officially unveiled a proposal for regional security, officially called the Hormuz Peace Endeavour (HOPE).

“Based upon the historical responsibility of my country in maintaining security, peace, stability and progress in the Persian Gulf region and Strait of Hormuz, I would like to invite all the countries directly affected by the developments in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to the ‘Coalition for Hope’, meaning Hormuz Peace Endeavor,” President Hassan Rouhani told the UN delegates.

Foreign Minister Zarif has invited all regional states to join Iran’s initiative for securing the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

In a tweet in September, Zarif said the initiative entails “dialogue, confidence-building, freedom of navigation, energy security, non-aggression, and non-intervention”.

In a post on his Twitter account on October 15, Zarif renewed Iran’s call to all countries bordering the Persian Gulf to join Tehran’s initiative to “forge a blueprint for peace, security, stability, and prosperity” in the region.

In his press briefing, the Foreign Ministry spokesman called on certain Persian Gulf Arab states to abandon reliance on foreign forces for their security, saying dependence on foreigners is just an “illusion”

“We called on the countries to respond to Iran’s peace-seeking call and abandon illusions. We have stressed that presence of foreign countries undermines security and stability. We hope this initiative of Iran would face with positive response in IMO summit,” Mousavi stated.