Foreign military presence brings nothing to region but insecurity

Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the deputy chief of the Iranian Army for Coordination, made the remark on Wednesday as he pointed to the presence of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf under the pretext of providing security for the area.

“Ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz for the passage of foreign merchant vessels is among the greatest capabilities of the Islamic Iran, and that is established with the help of the countries in the region,” Sayyari said.

Stressing that there is no need for the presence of extra-regional countries to establish security, the Iranian commander said, “The presence of extra-regional countries has brought about nothing for the region but insecurity and this has been proven by experience.”

Sayyari also said that the Iranian Navy has ventured into the field of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), saying the USVs are definitely effective in improving the country’s combat power and that the force will hold a drill using the new technology if needs be.

Last month, Abolfazl Shekarchi, the spokesman of the Iranian Armed Forces, said the security of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean has nothing to do with the United States.

Pointing to various drills conducted by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)'s Navy in the Persian Gulf, Shekarchi said the maneuvers are aimed at sending a message to the regional countries that they do not need to rely on foreigners in order to ensure security of the region.

Top Iranian commanders have repeatedly warned foreign military forces – particularly the US – against intruding into the Persian Gulf region under any excuse, insisting that the security of the strategic waterway must be provided by regional countries.