The Strait of Hormuz is an “inseparable” part of Iran’s national sovereignty, and its management is exclusively the responsibility of the Islamic Republic, a senior Iranian lawmaker has said.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, on Tuesday dismissed a US-backed statement by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as “overt interference” in regional affairs, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.
The US-GCC statement followed talks in Manama co-chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. Foreign ministers from Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also took part in the meeting.
The statement rejected “any tolls, fees, or attempts to assert control over the strait”, saying that free and unrestricted navigation “remains essential to regional and global security”.
According to Press TV, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to what it described as hostile states and their allies in response to the US-Israeli aggression, before tightening its control over the strategic waterway in retaliation for what it said was an illegal US naval blockade of Iranian ports and vessels despite a standing ceasefire.
The GCC statement also said that “lasting regional peace and security requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran’s alleged threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support of proxies in the region”.
According to Azizi, however, “Iran’s missile and drone capabilities are a red line and will not be restricted by any deal.”
Addressing GCC leaders, the senior parliamentarian said, “Lebanon’s sovereignty is not secured through disarming the Resistance, but through ending occupation and aggression.”
He added: “Imported security from Washington is nothing but a mirage; gambling on America’s scenario will undermine your stability and security.”
“The era of US intervention in the region is over, and the return of the defeated will bring no achievements,” Azizi concluded.