Iran calls for own coalition in Persian Gulf

Rouhani heads to UN in quest to win support against Washington

TEHERAN - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that his country will offer its own rival security coalition in the Persian Gulf region, as the United States sends more troops to the region and is leading its own regional military coalition.

Rouhani, before departing Teheran for New York to attend the UN General Assembly meeting, said Iran will invite "all littoral states of the Persian Gulf" to join its coalition "to guarantee the region's security".

He said the initiative is not limited to "security" but also encompasses economic cooperation and will be presented in detail at the United Nations.

Under the plan dubbed the Hormuz Peace Endeavour, or HOPE, he said, "all the coastal states of the Persian Gulf are invited to join this coalition to provide and maintain regional security".

The proposal came amid heightened Middle East tensions following a series of attacks, including a missile-and-drone assault on Saudi Arabia's oil industry that the US alleges Iran was behind. Teheran denies the charge and has warned against retaliatory strikes.

Rouhani describes the coalition as a plan for "long-term" peace in the area.

Speaking to reporters before boarding his flight, Rouhani said his delegation was heading to the UN gathering despite reluctance from US President Donald Trump's administration to issue them visas.

Teheran and Washington have been at loggerheads since May last year when Trump abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and began reimposing sanctions on Iran in a stated campaign of "maximum pressure".

"When the Americans aren't willing (to let Iran participate), we must insist on traveling," Rouhani said.

"It is essential for us to take part in the UN General Assembly and talk at various levels," he said.

"The cruel actions that have been taken against the Iranian nation and also the difficult and complicated issues that our region faces with them need to be explained to the people and countries of the world."

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "the United Kingdom is attributing responsibility with a very high degree of probability to Iran" for the attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, the UK's Press Association news agency reported on Monday.

Johnson was himself en route to New York, where he is scheduled to meet with Iran's president.

Escalation

Since pulling out of the nuclear deal, the US has slapped waves of sanctions on Iran that have targeted its armed forces, financial sector and officials, including Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Iran has responded by scaling back its commitments under the 2015 deal that promised sanctions relief in return for limiting the scope of its nuclear program.

The US has said it would make its case against Iran at the UN meeting.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US wanted to give diplomacy "every opportunity to succeed" in the wake of the attacks that set aflame Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and the Khurais oilfield.

"Our administration's taking this on in a serious way and we are working diligently to see that this has a diplomatic outcome," he told ABC TV's This Week on Sunday.

"But make no mistake about it, if we're unsuccessful in that and Iran continues to strike out in this way, I am confident that President Trump will make the decisions necessary to achieve our objectives," Pompeo said.

In another development, Iran's government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Monday that the Stena Impero, a British-flagged oil tanker, is "free" to leave more than two months after it was seized in the Persian Gulf.

He did not specify when the Swedish-owned vessel would be allowed to set sail.

Agencies

(China Daily 09/24/2019 page12)