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Responsibility for Persian Gulf security rests with regional countries — IRGC commander

"No one but us is up to this task," the official stated

© Hasan Shirvani/Mizan News Agency via AP

TEHRAN, August 21. /TASS/. Iran and other Persian Gulf countries are solely responsible for regional security, Deputy Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ali Fadavi said, as cited by the Fars news agency.

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On August 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on regional leaders to make a non-aggression pact. According to Zarif, the Middle East countries need to focus on resolving regional issues.

On June 24, the US Department of State announced that Washington planned to create a coalition to ensure freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf area. On July 23, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo suggested engaging countries from different world regions in the coalition. On the same day, the media said that Germany, France and the United Kingdom were discussing their own mission to monitor maritime security in the Persian Gulf. On July 31, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas made a statement that Berlin would not join a US-led coalition to protect maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

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