Israel "greatest threat to regional security": Iran FM spox

Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks at his weekly press briefing on Monday, calling on the regional countries to cooperate and strengthen their own security without relying on foreign countries.

The spokesman seized this opportunity to congratulate the National Day of Journalists to all industrious journalists across the country and commemorated the name and memory of IRNA Correspondent Mahmoud Saremi who was martyred in Afghanistan's Mazar-i-Sharif along with other eight Iranian diplomats in a terrorist attack in 1998.

Turning to Mecca Joint Defense Agreement among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, he stressed that Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is a sign of a changing perception among regional states, highlighting that they [Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey] have realized that security cannot be provided by relying on foreign powers.

Baghaei said regional countries had, particularly since the start of the genocide in Gaza and Zionist regime’s attacks three years ago, increasingly recognized the source of the greatest threat to stability and security in the region and beyond.

He pointed to the Zionist regime’s attacks on Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, as well as its threats against other countries in the region, highlighting that such developments have strengthened the understanding that regional states can no longer rely on the US claims to provide security.

The Iranian spokesman also said the United States itself has contributed to insecurity in the region, arguing that the Israeli regime could not have carried out its actions without the American support.

He stressed Iran’s view that regional security is indivisible, saying that any initiative that correctly identifies the enemy and the threat could contribute to strengthening peace and security.

‘Hormuz was not closed because of disagreement with Oman’

Asked about the outcome of Iran-Oman talks and Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Baqaei rejected the notion that the waterway had been closed because of a disagreement between the two countries.

“The Strait of Hormuz was not closed because of a difference of opinion between Iran and Oman!” he said.

He attributed the closure to the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran, the exploitation of the strait, and the use of military bases located along the southern shores of the Persian Gulf to attack Iran.

“Therefore, it is natural that determining the shipping route between Iran and Oman is a bilateral matter between the two countries,” Baqaei said.

He acknowledged that the arrangement would have implications for international shipping involving other countries, but stressed that the negotiations themselves were between the two coastal states and had the specific objective of reaching an agreement on a safe route for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Baqaei said reopening the strait would depend on the removal of conditions imposed on Iran and the region as a result of the US-Israeli military aggression.

“Keep in mind that we are still in a state of war,” he said, arguing that continued US maritime blockade prevented the Strait of Hormuz from being considered a secure waterway.

He referred to UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, which defines aggression, saying that “a maritime blockade of this kind constitutes an act of aggression” under the resolution.

“As long as the US maritime blockade continues, and as long as other US violations continue, the conditions necessary for us to say that the Strait of Hormuz has become a secure waterway will not exist,” the spokesman said.

He said Washington must stop and make amends for its “illegal and destructive actions” before further steps could be discussed.

Turning to the collection of fees (tolls) for providing services in the Strait of Hormuz, he stressed that monitoring navigation in Hormuz Strait natural.

He went on to say that southern route in Strait of Hormuz is illegal, unsafe, violates Islamabad MoU.

Security is not imported commodity; trio pact among regional countries is shift in perception, he emphasized.

He noted that negotiations between Iran and Oman over a shipping route are naturally a bilateral matter involving the two coastal states.

The spokesman stressed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on the conditions imposed on Iran and the waterway by the US and the Zionist regime, saying that the necessary conditions for reopening do not exist while the US naval blockade remains in place.

“As long as the US naval blockade continues, the necessary conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz do not exist,” Baghaei stated.

He added that it is up to the US to stop and make amends for its destructive actions so that the sides could then discuss the next steps.

Asked about the possibility of Iran imposing transit fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei said discussions on such details are still underway and that Iran is not currently discussing the issue.

Baghaei added that the talks have also covered mechanisms for monitoring the safety of navigation, environmental issues and the provision of maritime services. He noted that the provision of such services would naturally entail service charges.

Regarding mine clearance along the central route of the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei referred to Clause 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding that he said was violated by the US, stressing that Iran’s role had been clearly specified in the agreement.

He said the MoU assigned Iran responsibility for the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, including ensuring its security, which encompasses securing and clearing the waterway of mines. He added that the matter should be pursued between the two coastal states, namely Iran and Oman.

The spokesman further said the northern and southern routes would be transformed into a central route following an agreement, arguing that the US has created the current situation by establishing a route contrary to the Islamabad MoU.