Gharibabadi: Strait of Hormuz security is ensured solely by Iran

Pars Today – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs reacted to the deployment of French and British warships to the region, emphasizing that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is ensured only by Iran.

According to Pars Today, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, said that France had announced the deployment of the aircraft carrier French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle on a joint mission with London to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the stated aim of “strengthening freedom of navigation.” Britain has also reportedly decided to send a warship to the region.

He emphasized that the deployment of extra-regional naval forces around the Strait of Hormuz under the pretext of protecting shipping amounts to “escalating the crisis and militarizing a vital waterway.”

Kazem Gharibabadi described the source of insecurity in the region as the “illegal use of force, threats against coastal states, and naval blockades.”

He stressed that the Strait of Hormuz is not the common property of extra-regional powers and that Iran, as a coastal state, has the right to exercise sovereignty and determine its legal arrangements.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister also warned that the presence of French, British, or any other countries’ warships in support illegal U.S. actions in the Strait of Hormuz would be met with a “decisive and immediate response” from Iran’s armed forces.