TEHRAN -- Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Muhammad Reza Ashtiani on Thursday slammed the “illegitimate” presence of foreign powers in the strategic Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, urging collective cooperation among regional countries to ensure stability and security.
In a video call with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, Ashtiani said Iran’s defense doctrine and policy attached importance to collective cooperation among regional countries to maintain security and stability.
He said it is up to the regional countries to establish maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the “illegitimate” presence of foreign forces in the region disrupts security there.
Ashtiani further said Iran and Japan have sensitive and key roles in the key geopolitical regions of the West and East Asia, and that the two countries are enhancing relations within the framework of peace and stability in a positive and constructive way.
The Japanese defense minister, for his part, outlined activities of his country’s naval forces in the West Asian region and stressed the need to cooperate with Iran in ensuring maritime security.