Iran seeks to form alliance includes GCC states, Iraq, Yemen

NEW YORK, Sept. 23 (YPA) – The Iranian government has launched an initiative to form an international alliance to ensure security in the Gulf region, comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States, Iran, Iraq and Yemen under the auspices of the United Nations.

“This alliance should in principle include Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and perhaps Yemen,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a statement Monday before the start of the UN General Assembly meeting at the UN headquarters in New York.

“We are not against Yemen’s accession to the alliance, but it is unclear what is happening there,” Zarif added.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Sunday that he would present, during his participation in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, an initiative to establish an alliance to ensure the security of the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz on the basis of cooperation between the countries of the region.

The disclosure of this initiative comes at a time the United States are working on their own plan for the formation of a military alliance meant to include more than 50 countries, including Israel, to ensure the security of navigation in the Gulf waters.

This move comes against the backdrop of increasing incidents of oil tankers in the region in addition to the escalation of tension between Tehran on the one hand and Washington and its allies, particularly Riyadh, on the other hand, especially after the attack on two vital oil installations of Aramco on September 14.

YPA