US presence in Persian Gulf only fuels insecurity: Iran chief commander

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, says the United States is only fueling insecurity in the Persian Gulf through its presence in the strategic region.

Speaking to reporters in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Sunday, the top Iranian military chief added that US President Donald Trump's plan to withdraw troops from Syria was insignificant for defensive and security missions in the region.

"The US exit from Syria was a humiliating withdrawal of a country that was present in the [Arab] country without the consent and approval of the [Syrian] people and the legal government," General Baqeri said.

He added that the Americans created insecurity wherever they had a presence, saying, "Their retreat from Syria and other parts of the region will certainly lead to the improvement of security and peace."

The Iranian commander emphasized that the Persian Gulf countries are capable of ensuring security on their own and the US presence in the region has no outcome but the creation of insecurity.

In a reversal from previously stated US policy, President Trump earlier this month ordered a “full” and “rapid” withdrawal of US troops from Syria as he vowed the United States would no longer be the "policeman of the Middle East."

EA