Iran welcomes friendly ties with Persian Gulf states

A senior Iranian commander says Iran welcomes brotherly and friendly relations with Islamic countries especially those located south of the Persian Gulf. “Through cooperation, we can provide the security of the waters and coasts ourselves and frustrate the enemies,” Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Ja'fari said on Thursday. Ja’fari made the comments after a visit to the combat units stationed on Iran’s islands of Abu Musa, the Lesser Tunb and the Greater Tunb. The Iranian commander further called on the Islamic countries, particularly those located in the south of Persian Gulf, to unite in order to “cut short the hand of global arrogance from the region.” In his visit to the Iranian islands, Ja’fari was joined by the IRGC Navy Commander Admiral Ali Fadavi, who provided a report on the readiness and capabilities of the battle-ready units based on the three Persian Gulf islands. In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems. The country has repeatedly made it clear that its military might is merely based on the state's defense doctrine of deterrence and that it poses no threat to other countries.