Alaeddin Boroujerdi:’No need for guardians in Persian Gulf’

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and the presence of US forces in the region prove that these forces only cause insecurity in the region.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who heads Iran Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Wednesday that establishing security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is the responsibility of regional countries.

“The Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman do not need guardians and the US has no business establishing security in the region,” he added.

The lawmaker said the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman littoral states can effectively protect the security of the region and are not interested in the presence of foreign forces.

Boroujerdi said recent naval drills by Iran’s Navy, dubbed Velayat 90, aimed to reflect some of the capabilities of Iran’s Armed Forces.

The lawmaker emphasized that Iran does not follow a policy of war, but the country is a messenger of peace.

“The US used [former Iraqi dictator] Saddam [Hussein] for eight years to impose war on Iran and we proved at the time that we are able to defend ourselves and the security of the region,” he concluded.

On Saturday, December 24, Iran’s Navy launched massive 10-day Velayat 90 naval exercises, covering an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden. The drills ended on Monday, January 2.

Different classes of submarines, including Tareq and Qadir, the newest ground-to-sea missile systems and torpedoes were employed in the maneuvers.

The four stages of the naval drills — preparedness, expansion of forces as well as tactical and power phases — were carried out successfully with the surface and subsurface vessel units and aviation units penetrating to targeted depths.

The drills also employed an unprecedented number of subsurface units which successfully carried out their missions to fire torpedoes, including electronic torpedoes.

Iran announced that the maneuvers are defensive in nature and are intended to convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries.

Over the past years, Iran has made important breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

The country has repeatedly clarified that its military might is merely based on the nation’s defense doctrine of deterrence and poses no threat to other countries.