News / Interviews

Persian Gulf does not need US military presence: Academic

Tuesday, 29 November 2016 6:18 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 29 November 2016 7:15 PM ]

The file photo shows an MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter

Iran has announced that the military presence of US forces in the Persian Gulf is the main source of problems in the region. That came after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy ruled out Washington’s claim that an Iranian vessel had pointed its weapon at a US helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC has said that the US officials occasionally level such false accusations against the Islamic Republic to pursue their goals in the region.

Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran, told Press TV’s Top 5 that there is no need for the United States’ military presence in the Persian Gulf region.

Izadi said, “The presence of US naval forces is basically useless, because the security of this region in not dependent on the United States.”

“The countries of the region are fully capable of defending themselves and securing their own region,” he said, adding, “The US troops should leave this part of the world and if they want to be present for whatever reason, they need to be polite, they need to realize that this is not their region and realize that Persian Gulf is Persian Gulf, it’s not Gulf of Mexico.”

“The main question is that why we have US troops in the Persian Gulf, the United States is thousands of miles away,” and other countries do not send their vessels to the American coastal waters, he said, urging the US authorities to respect “similar standard” for countries in the region.

He further stated, “We don’t need the US troops in this part of the world and their presence historically has caused a lot of damage,” but “Iran’s military is capable of securing this region.”

Izadi also touched upon another aspect of US intervention in the region, saying, “The US government is selling Persian Gulf states billions of dollars of weaponry. The Persian Gulf is one of the most armed regions of the world.”

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