Iran�s Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani slams the �illegitimate� presence of foreign powers in the strategic Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, urging collective cooperation among regional countries to ensure stability and security.

In a video call with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Thursday, Ashtiani said Iran�s defense doctrine and policy attached importance to collective cooperation among regional countries to maintain security and stability.

He said it is the regional countries are responsible for establishing maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, warning the �illegitimate� presence of foreign forces in the region disrupts security there.

Ashtiani further said Iran and Japan have sensitive and key positions in the key geopolitical regions of the West and East Asia, and that the two countries are enhancing relations within the framework of peace and stability in a positive and constructive way.

The Japanese defense minister, for his part, outlined activities of his country�s naval forces in the West Asian region and stressed the need to cooperate with Iran in ensuring maritime security.

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said in March that Iran would never compromise on defending the country's interests and resources, warning that security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is �our red line.�

�We have always maintained that regional countries are responsible for safeguarding security in the Persian Gulf and that foreigners must leave this region at the earliest,� Tangsiri added.




By PRESS TV�