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.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Foreign Minister of Oman Yusuf bin Alawi said on Tuesday that his country makes efforts to help the shoulder to shoulder to bring about true stability to the region.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – A senior Chinese diplomat said Beijing attaches great importance to  Mideast stability and peace and is keen on keeping up consultations with Iran in this regard.

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For too long now there has been mistrust, acrimony and conflict in the community around the Strait of Hormuz. For too long, states have armed themselves and invaded, bombed or embargoed each other. For too long, foreign forces have come to our region to project their power, not to protect our people. And for too long our peoples have suffered.

We can, collectively, choose to remain on this path of instability and tension, and await the unknown. Or, we can instead choose peace, security, stability and prosperity for all. In late September, Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani proposed the latter at the UN General Assembly, unveiling what he called the Hormuz Peace Endeavor (Hope). The UN was given a mandate in 1987 to furnish the necessary umbrella for such a regional arrangement.

Iran is trying to provide a solution to what appears — but in fact is not — an intractable problem. There are competing interests and ideologies, disparities in size, resources and capabilities, and distrust among the states in strait of Hormuz that are most affected by developments in the area: Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

To be successful, this effort requires universal observance of the purposes and principles of the UN charter. We will all need to commit to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the inviolability of our international borders, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. We should categorically reject any threat or use of force or participation in coalitions against each other. Considering the obvious disparities in size and resources, we must commit to mutual respect, mutual interest, and equal footing in all aspects of our relations and interactions.

We must build consensus at various levels about the parameters of the Hormuz Peace Endeavour, and then collectively launch and implement it. So Iran proposes setting up meetings of experts, think-tanks, the private sector, senior officials, ministers and heads of state to deliberate on common objectives.

These meetings can help articulate a collective approach to opportunities and challenges such as energy security and freedom of navigation for all. We must also promote arms control and security building measures, the establishment of a zone that is free of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the prevention and resolution of regional conflicts. We can begin with — or work towards — the signing of a Hormuz Community Non-Intervention and Non-Aggression Pact.

We can set up joint task forces to come up with practical steps towards these objectives and gradually build confidence and expand co-operation. These task forces can develop mechanisms and procedures for co-operation on common security and regional conflict prevention and resolution. They can include hotlines, early warning systems, military contacts and the exchange of data and information. Another task force could bring us together in order to combat the drug trade, terrorism and human trafficking.

Nothing builds greater confidence than close interaction among peoples and businesses. A task force can be mandated to promote joint investments and ventures in oil, gas, energy and transit and transport. Academics and prominent thinkers can also work together to expand cultural co-operation, interfaith dialogue and tourism. Scientific co-operation could include the exchange of scholars and students, and joint scientific and technological projects.

Relevant experts can propose joint efforts to address vital issues of cyber security, nuclear safety, and protecting the environment — particularly the marine environment. Co-operation on humanitarian issues, such as the treatment of migrants, refugees and displaced persons can be promoted by bringing together relevant agencies within a humanitarian task force.

I invite my colleagues in the leaderships of other regional states in strait of Hormuz, and in the academic and diplomatic communities, to join us in forging a blueprint for peace, security, stability and prosperity.

We all have grievances about the past. Iran, after eight years of regionally financed aggression and 40 years of foreign-sponsored attacks and separatism, has much to complain about.

But as the great poet and sage Rumi wrote 800 years ago: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – An Iranian lawmaker said that the issue of security in the Persian Gulf needs to be tackled through negotiations between regional countries.

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In separate exclusive interviews with Iran Daily, Iranian lawmakers Seyyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, spokesman for the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, and Qassem Saedi, a member of the Energy Committee of the Iranian legislature, underscored the significance of Tehran’s peace initiative and said regional peace and security would not be achievable without Iran.

Naqavi said there was no regional issue that could not be resolved through negotiations. Therefore, he added, the HOPE initiative seeks peaceful strategies to end regional disputes and conflicts.

He also expressed hope that the president’s roadmap will be accepted by regional states and become a cornerstone for peace.

“Fortunately, regional countries including ranking authorities of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have given positive signals regarding the dialogic settlement of regional differences.”

The official went on to say that the Islamic Republic has always maintained its strategic policy of defusing tensions through negotiations.

“Based on that, we believe there is no need for dispute, clash and military intervention by colonialist countries in the region’s affairs,” noted Naqavi.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Sa’edi said Iran is prepared to engage peacefully and interact with its Persian Gulf neighbors over regional issues.

Iran’s “key role in the region calls for any effort for sustainable peace to include negotiations and interaction with Iran.”

Sa’edi said that localization of security in regional waterways is among the objectives of Iran and other neighbors as foreign powers only engage in campaigns of intimidation and tension.

He added that the Islamic Republic will maintain the security of commercial ships and others, but if any vessel commits a non-conventional deed in those waterways, the responsibility lies with them.

He also underlined the Islamic Republic’s policy of good neighborly relations and interaction with regional states, inviting Iran’s neighbor’s to follow suit.

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In remarks released on Friday, Rastad pointed to a recent initiative by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for regional security, known as the “Hormuz Peace Endeavor” and said, “The international waterways of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are one of the safest maritime routes due to the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Navy.”

“For many years, we managed to ensure the security of our waterways,” he said, adding that annually, 55,000 oceangoing vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz in complete safety and security.

The waterways has become secure due to the power of the Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), he went on to say.

The official went on to say that if the responsibility for the regional security is handed over to regional countries, there would be no challenges but the challenge begins when foreign countries interfere in the region.

Rouhani presented the Hormuz peace initiative while delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly last week and invited all regional countries to participate in it.

“The initiative is based on the fact that all regional countries are duty-bound to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Together with the international community, they have common interests in maintaining freedom of navigation and energy transfer,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a UN Security Council meeting on September 25.

These regional efforts are necessary to prevent war, conflict, violence, extremism, terrorism and sectarian tensions, Zarif said, adding that Tehran’s proposal was aimed at enhancing solidarity, mutual understanding as well as peaceful and friendly relations between countries in the region in order to guarantee the territorial integrity and political independence of regional states.

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The Iranian defense minister made the comments in a phone conversation with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Tuesday.

The conversation came amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf following several attacks on oil tankers as well as a recent drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi fighters on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.

About 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

The United States and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the attacks on the tankers and Saudi facilities; accusations that Tehran flatly rejected.

Iran’s defense minister noted that no country can guarantee its security through undermining the security of the other nations.

He also rejected the accusations against Iran over attacks on Saudi oil facilities as baseless and said there was no evidence proving Iran’s hand in the air strikes.

“Those who accuse Iran either cannot or do not want to believe in the military capabilities of the Yemeni nation,” General Hatami added.

Japan’s defense minister for his part conveyed his country’s concerns over rising tensions in the Middle East.

“80 percent of Japan’s crude oil imports come through the Strait of Hormuz. The stability of the region is directly connected to Japan’s energy security,” Kono told reporters after their conversation.

Kono also called on Iran to play a constructive role in fostering peace and stability in the region with regional cooperation.

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Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Ali Rabiee confirmed reports that the officials of a certain state have delivered messages from Saudi Arabia to Rouhani. Iran News quotes the story by Tasnim.

He emphasized that Iran, however, is waiting for palpable signs of a shift in the Saudi policies, saying the kingdom should first stop the war on Yemen and end the massacre of Yemenis.

Tehran welcomes a genuine change in Riyadh’s behavior, the spokesman said, adding that neighbors of Iran will be part of an Iranian-initiated coalition for regional peace.

Countries from outside the region will be excluded from the ‘Hormuz Peace Endeavor’, Rabiee underlined.

In comments in July, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman described a call from Riyadh for talks with Tehran as a “positive signal”, saying the Islamic Republic welcomed any initiative for unconditional resolution of regional issues.

“Iran has repeatedly called for the settlement of problems among Islamic countries without preconditions, and warmly welcomes any measure that would result in the proximity of Islamic countries,” Abbas Mousavi said.

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall the Riyadh-allied former regime and crush the Houthis — objectives that have failed to materialize due to Yemenis’ stiff resistance.

Since the war began, there have been tens of thousands of civilian casualties. Millions of Yemenis now subsist beneath the poverty line and hundreds of thousands of children are suffering and dying from malnutrition.

The Western-backed military aggression, coupled with a naval blockade, has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and led to a massive humanitarian crisis.

This year it’s the first time that Saudi Arabia messages Iran to begin talks about  making a more peaceful region of recent decades.

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“Thanks to the culture of Sacred Defense and the great Iranian nation’s fortitude, the enemies’ policy of maximum pressure is turning into the policy of maximum solicitation, as they are imploring the Iranian officials to hold a meeting,” General Hatami said in a meeting of Defense Ministry personnel on Sunday.

He added that the US feels no compunction about intensifying pressures on Iran, in a way that Washington would impose sanctions even on the “water and oxygen” consumed by Iranians if it had the ability to do so.

Highlighting Iran’s growing defense capabilities, the minister said Tehran has gained such power that has discouraged the US from taking any action after the Iranian air defense forces shot down an American spy drone over the Persian Gulf in June.

In remarks in late August, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said Iran’s “deterrence power” has reached such a high level that the US refrained from taking any action after Iran shot down an American RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

On June 20, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down a US spy drone that had violated the Iranian territorial airspace near the Kooh-e-Mobarak region in the southern province of Hormozgan.

The intruding drone was shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has reiterated on various occasions that the Iranian Armed Forces should boost their military capabilities and preparedness in such a way that the enemies would not ever dare think of threaten the country.

In comments in November 2018, the Leader said that Iran’s enhanced military preparedness would frighten the foes and be deterrent against the enemies, underlining, “The Islamic Republic is not intending to begin a war against anyone, but you (the Iranian military forces) should boost your capabilities in such a way that not only the enemy would be fearful and afraid of attacking Iran, but also thanks to the solidarity, might, and effective presence of the Armed Forces, the specter of threats against the Iranian nation would be swept away.”

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