Regional countries could work together to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route, without military intervention of Western powers, an Iranian military analyst said.
Hossein Kanani Moghaddam, also a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Saturday that such cooperation is not only feasible but has already been envisioned and practiced through joint exercises.
"Absolutely, it is possible, and we had already defined this model before, even conducting joint exercises. We have always believed that the security of the Persian Gulf is a collective security issue. If the U.S. and the countries that are here for their own interests leave, we can easily ensure security ourselves," he said.
"How is it that for many years nothing has happened in the Strait of Hormuz? Because Iran has been a security guarantor. We have a 2,000-kilometer maritime border with the Persian Gulf. If all U.S. forces were to enter the Strait of Hormuz, we could easily strike and neutralize them from our own territory along this maritime border," said Moghaddam.
Situated between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz is a strategic chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged countries dependent on oil shipments through the strait to take responsibility for keeping it open, with American assistance. The United States has been trying to ease high oil prices amid the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, triggering Iran's retaliations on U.S. assets across the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told U.S. media that the strait remained open for international shipping except for vessels belonging to the United States, Israel, and their allies.
Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani said Thursday that the current situation in the region, including in the Strait of Hormuz, is the direct consequence of the destabilizing actions of the United States in launching aggression against Iran and undermining regional security.
Regional cooperation can secure Hormuz without Western intervention: former IRGC commander
