TEHRAN: Senior military adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei says the United States has no role in the region, stressing that Iran will play a leading role in shaping the future security order in West Asia.
Speaking at a ceremony marking Sacred Defense Week on Sunday, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi said the United States has committed numerous crimes and wicked acts in the region.
“The Americans are on their way out and cannot remain in the region. They have spent hundreds of billions of dollars, but have failed to achieve their objectives despite that spending,” he said.
He expressed hope that sustainable peace could be established through cooperation among regional countries without the US presence.
Pointing to the geopolitical importance of the Strait of Hormuz and its role during the recent war in the region, the top military commander said Iran is the most important country in West Asia and has a very significant regional and international position.
Rahim Safavi added that the “smart management” of the Strait of Hormuz had become a key factor in breaking the US maritime blockade, noting that a large portion of the world’s oil and gas passes through West Asia and the strategic waterway.
“This is a very important lever in controlling the world’s oil and gas,” he emphasized.
He noted that restrictions on maritime traffic through the strait had affected energy production and exports in several Persian Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The top commander emphasized that Iran could expand energy cooperation with neighboring countries.
“The Strait of Hormuz has turned into a weapon more dangerous than a nuclear weapon,” Rahim Safavi said.
He reiterated the full preparedness of Iran’s armed forces and the Iranian people to confront any possible future war.
The Iranian president says Tehran has lost faith in negotiating with the United States as previous rounds of talks were followed by attacks and sanctions.
Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the US-Israeli war of aggression that began on February 28 and came to a halt under a ceasefire in early April amid the Islamic Republic’s brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations.
Article 5 of the Islamabad MoU places responsibility for reopening and managing the strait squarely in Iran’s hands.
However, the US attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty over the vital global energy chokepoint by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani shores. The US also resumed its aerial assaults on Iran and imposed a naval blockade of the country in violation of the war-ending deal.
The unlawful US measures prompted Iran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.
The Islamic Republic has stressed that the reopening of the critical waterway depends on US compliance with its obligations under the MoU.
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