Iranian official urges ‘serious’ dialogue with Persian Gulf states
An Iranian diplomat has warned against Israel’s plot to dominate the Persian Gulf region, saying the Islamic Republic and the littoral states in this strategic area need to engage in “serious” dialogue.
Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, made the remarks in an address to a conference on the Persian Gulf and the regional and international developments in Tehran on Thursday.
“In the light of the rationality and maturity developed by the countries in the region, regional dialogue needs to be established between Iran and the Arab countries, and Iran seeks such talks,” Kharrazi said.
He added that the Islamic Republic’s strategic policy is to utilize “soft power,” explaining that such a policy includes the promotion of economic cooperation with regional countries.
The senior Iranian official emphasized that Iran, Iraq and the six Persian Gulf littoral states can take steps towards the development of the region in security, economic and cultural fields with no foreign interference.
Kharrazi, who is also a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said cooperation between Iran and the Persian Gulf littoral states covers issues far beyond the economic ones.
The two sides can boost cooperation in the fields of energy, science, technology, culture, and the shared heritage of regional countries, as well as political and military areas, he noted.
“The fate of this region hinges on cooperation among the regional countries, and Iran is ready for broader cooperation,” Kharrazi pointed out.
Every year, Iranians observe the Persian Gulf Day on the 10th of Ordibehesht, the second month on the Persian calendar, which usually falls on April 30.
The date coincides with the anniversary of a successful military campaign by Shah Abbas I of Persia in 1622, which drove the Portuguese navy out of the Strait of Hormuz.
While historical documents show that the waterway has always been referred to as the “Persian Gulf,” certain Arab states and their allies have frequently used the fictitious name “the Arabian Gulf” to point to the body of water.
