Iranian MP says Saudis will welcome Hormuz Peace Endeavor

By Sadeq Dehqan

The spokesman of the Iranian Parliament’s Judiciary and Legal Committee is convinced that Saudi Arabia will support the proposal of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani for the implementation of peace and security in the region.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Hassan Norouzi made reference to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s emphasis on Riyadh’s diplomatic approach to Iran and noted that Saudis will definitely welcome the Iranian president’s Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE) which is primarily a security roadmap for the region.

The Hormuz Peace Endeavor, set forth by President Rouhani at the UN General Assembly, will also have economic and political dimensions. Although details of the regional peace initiative have yet to be disclosed, member states are expected to help maintain peace in the region.

The lawmaker said the establishment of peace in the Persian Gulf needs to be provided by its littoral states, and noted that the United States and other countries’ troop deployment in the name of American coalition will not only fail to help regional and Persian Gulf security, it will also complicate the situation and also stoke tensions in the region.

Norouzi said the United States seeks its own interests in the region and also pursues Israel’s security through American presence in the area under the pretext of assisting Saudi Arabia and other states that should not fall for the US scheme. “Why should West Asia nations and Persian Gulf littoral states that are mostly Muslim not participate in the establishment of peace and stability in the region themselves?”

Shifting to the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea and said, “Similar to the Caspian Sea littoral states’ establishment and commitment to the lake’s legal regime, security and other issues, the same trend should form in Persian Gulf and even the Mediterranean Sea, and Islamic countries take up security by themselves.”

The official said if “we hand over the security of our waters to non-regional states, they will keep their own interests as top priority.”

In addition, the United States and some of its allies pursue war and conflict in the region via exaggerating differences in order to sell their military equipment and weaponry, noted the parliamentarian, adding that their ultimate goal is to hegemonize the region and control its oil and gas resources.

He further pointed out that the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman follow international conventions on maritime statuses and that the West’s military presence in the region has disturbed the demarcations.

Norouzi said Americans appear to deem some Arab nations as their own states and fail to respect other countries’ rights. “If regional nations engage in transactions, they could create fresh rules and regulations to ensure mutual respect and their control; over the situation.”

The lawmaker said Iran and Oman flank the Strait of Hormuz and are naturally entitled to control the strategic waterway.

He said if Americans avoid interfering in the area’s affairs, legal ship crossings will take place more freely. “The security concern felt in the region and the Persian Gulf is because of the United States and its allies whose presence creates insecurity and causes difference among nations.”