Iranian Army Commander: Time Ticking for Foreign Forces to Leave Region

“We need an interregional security and not false coalitions. It is time to drive foreign forces out of the region,” General Mousavi said in Tehran on Thursday.

“The security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf region can only be achieved through cooperation of the Persian Gulf littoral states,” he added.

“Developments in recent years have shown that foreign powers cannot be reliable for regional countries,” General Mousavi said.

Elsewhere, he maintained that Iran has obtained self-sufficiency in developing various kinds of military equipment, adding that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will be the victor of any possible future conflict”.

In relevant remarks in September, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that foreign military presence in the Middle East had put energy security and peace in serious danger, adding that trans-regional forces should leave the region if they were honestly concerned about security.

“The presence of foreign forces can be dangerous for the region, international waters, as well as the security of shipping lines and energy, but our path is to create unity and coordination with regional countries,” President Rouhani said.

Calling upon those who claim to be worried about security in the Middle East, Rouhani said, “If they are telling the truth, they’d better not turn the region into a stage of arms race … if they are after (establishing) security, they’d better get out of the region.”

Rouhani went on criticizing Washington for its destructive role in the region, saying, wherever Americans have set foot, they increased insecurity, as it was proved in cases of Afghanistan and Iraq.