FM: Policy of excluding Iran from regional arrangements failed

During his Tuesday remarks at the eighth conference on the history of Iran’s foreign relations at the Institute for Political and International Studies of the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, Araqchi noted that the all-out economic war through illegal sanctions against the great Iranian nation is just one aspect of the decades-long efforts by extra-regional powers led by the United States to this end.

Araqchi emphasized that the Persian Gulf is entering a new era of regional cooperation, adding that this is a result of active diplomacy and the neighbor-centric foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the perceptual changes occurring in some regional countries.

The Iranian Foreign Minister stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran, having the largest borders with the Persian Gulf and control over the Strait of Hormuz, plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining stability and security in this waterway and its surrounding areas, pursuing a strategy of maximum indigenous security in the Persian Gulf.

He warned that certain extra-regional powers have kept this waterway in a state of “permanent” tension to secure their illegitimate interests by militarizing the region and selling and stockpiling billions of dollars in weapons, thereby obstructing the path to cooperation and peaceful coexistence among the nations and countries of the region to justify their permanent presence.

Araqchi stated that the continuation of comprehensive regional cooperation requires all-encompassing collaboration among regional countries and a firm commitment to the principles of neighborly policy and mutual interests and security of the Persian Gulf states.

The Iranian Foreign Minister also emphasized the need for unified security in the Persian Gulf, stating that everyone must benefit from security; otherwise, security will not exist for anyone.