Iran calls for collective security treaty

With eyes fixed on foreign military presence in the Persian Gulf region, an Iranian lawmaker calls for a collective security treaty among Mideast countries.

“The continued presence of foreign military forces in the region has stoked insecurity and instability in our region,” said Kazem Jalali, Rapporteur of the Parliament (Majlis) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, on Sunday.

“Under these conditions, Middle Eastern countries, particularly those along the Persian Gulf, should join one another in a collective security treaty to ensure regional safety,” he added.

Iran has emerged as a vocal critic of the presence of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf region, notably the US military, which has bases in several Mideast countries including Iraq.

Arab states in the Persian Gulf have a long history of housing US military bases and combat equipments.

Kuwait plays host to US Patriots missiles, while the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters.

Qatar is also known to have a US air operations center that has played a central role in the US wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.