Iran to present regional security plan at UNGA: Rouhani

IRAN

- Iran will present a security plan for the Gulf at the United Nations General Assembly this week, said President Hassan Rouhani, while warning foreign forces to “stay away” from the region.

In a televised speech on Sunday marking the anniversary of the start of the IranIraq war in 1980, Rouhani said Iran extends its “hand of friendship and brotherhood” towards countries in the region willing to cooperate in the Tehran-led effort to oversee security in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz - a vital gateway for the global oil industry. In response to a recent decision by the United States to send more troops to the area, Rouhani went on to warn against the presence of foreign troops in the Gulf. “Foreign forces can cause problems and insecurity for our people and for our region,” said Rouhani, who will travel to New York City later this week for the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN. But some analysts expressed scepticism on whether Rouhani’s security initiative could come to fruition, particularly without the United States being involved. Simon Mabon, a senior lecturer on international relations at Lancaster University, said Iran sees itself as being “uniquely qualified” to organise a regional security structure. Rouhani is likely to argue the past presence of foreign militaries has only “brought devastation” and they need to extricate themselves from the Gulf, while Tehran wants only to work with neighbouring nations based on “dialogue and consensus”, he said. “[But] that type of rhetoric will not be well received in Riyadh and, to be honest, I can’t see this taking off the ground if there is no place for the United States in this security architecture,” Mabon told Al Jazeera.

(Al Jazeera)