Iran warns US against provocative moves in Persian Gulf

Speaking during a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said that the US government’s role regarding the issue of regional security has never been peaceful and constructive.

“Iran monitors with sensitivity and accuracy any illegal and unconstructive act that affects the security of the region, and it will … pay special attention to any provocative and illegal moves, especially near its borders,” he added.

Kan’ani also warned that the Islamic Republic will use its “inalienable rights” in response to the US moves.

Iran “reserves the right to take due deterrent measures under international law, rules and regulations given the capability of its Armed Forces in protecting the security of borders, as well as that of navigation and aviation in the Persian Gulf region,” he said.

On Friday, a senior American defense official said the US will send F-16 fighter jets to the Persian Gulf region this weekend in a bid to “protect ships” from “Iranian seizures.”

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that the F-16s will give air cover to the ships moving through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and increase the US military’s visibility in the area, the Associated Press reported.

Also in his media briefing, Kan’ani emphasized that Iran has never considered negotiable the issue of its territorial integrity and sovereignty over the three islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs in the Persian Gulf.

Thus, Iran “views the interference of any party, including the UAE and Russia, as unacceptable and rejects it,” he said, noting that the country will give a strong response to such moves.

The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Russia challenged Iran’s sovereignty over the three islands in a joint statement issued last week.

In their statement, the ministers said the issue should be settled through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law and the United Nations Charter.

The senior Iranian diplomat said Tehran has officially protested to the Russian government in this regard.

“Political, inaccurate, and unconstructive positions will not throw a wrench in Iran’s indisputable and non-negotiable sovereignty over the three Iranian islands,” he asserted.

Referring to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, the spokesman said any measure that fuels the flames of the war is “unconstructive” as it benefits no party but rather hampers international peace and security.

“Iran believes that returning to the political process is the way out of the war. Influential actors should help strengthen the political path against the military solution,” he pointed out.

Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, with President Vladimir Putin saying the goals were “demilitarization and de-Nazification” of the East European country.

The West says Iran has been providing Russia with military equipment, including drones, for use in Ukraine, an allegation categorically rejected by the Islamic Republic.

The US and the European countries have been supplying weapons to Ukraine. Recently, Washington sent Kiev cluster munitions which are banned in more than 120 countries.

“We condemn the accusations against Iran because we want an end to the war and stress a political solution,” Kan’ani said. “Those, who are on one side of this war and send prohibited weapons to Ukraine, should not level accusations against Iran.”