Iran says Persian Gulf stable, civilized

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says there is no security threat in the Persian Gulf area, adding that the countries in the region have cordial relations.

Ahmadinejad said on Friday that “extra-regional states are trying to portray the Persian Gulf as unstable in order to take control of the region. This is while what they fear from is the underlying civilization and culture of the region.”

The Iranian president made the remark during a conference marking ‘the National Day of the Persian Gulf ‘ on the island of Kish.

Iran’s civilization and culture dates back to 2500 years ago, he said, adding that “at that time, Cyrus the Great put an end to slavery, while in the US slavery ended only 180 years ago and after years of war and bloodshed.”

Ahmadinejad added that freedom of expression and freedom religion have been part of Iran’s culture since 2500 years ago.

The Iranian president said those who claim to be representing human rights and freedom of expression wage wars in every region they enter.

He slammed the United States and its allies for attacking Afghanistan and Iraq under the pretext of “war on terror” and “weapons of mass destruction.”

Ahmadinejad said since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan almost 1.5 million people have died and millions of others have been displaced.

Stressing that Iran has “global management abilities,” he said the country wants peace and dialogue but will crush any aggressor.