TEHRAN – A top lawmaker has slammed the U.S. decision to form a naval coalition in the Persian Gulf, saying such efforts will definitely lead nowhere.

Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, spokesman for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Friday that the U.S. coalition would only foment insecurity in the region, Mehr reported.

“Prior to the U.S. interventions in the affairs of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, every country used the waterway without any security issue,” explained Naqavi Hosseini.

He added that the strategic passage was dragged into challenges as soon as the Americans started their illegal interferences.

Today, the Americans are trying to establish a maritime coalition on the pretext of safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz while they themselves are the main elements sowing insecurity in the region, the top MP said.

“They are not after maintaining security in the region but seek to stir up the conflicts,” he added.

Naqavi Hosseini also pointed to the important role of Iran in preserving the security of the Persian Gulf of the Sea of Oman.

“Based on the legal regime of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is responsible for ensuring the region’s security, and every country should respect the legal status,” he said.

The U.S. has announced plans to form a Washington-led force amid its attempts to zero out Iran’s foreign oil sales as part of its sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic.

On June 30, the U.S. officially asked Germany — alongside Britain and France — to participate in the coalition, a request that was declined by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas a day later.

Japan has likewise refused to join the force, and France has expressed reservations. Earlier in August, Bloomberg reported that the U.S. efforts to build the coalition “continue to bear little fruit,” noting that major ally Australia was still undecided whether to join.

This is while Israel has announced that it will join the coalition.

According to Israel-based Y-Net news, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that his country is part of what he called the U.S.-led coalition to protect the security of the Persian Gulf.

MH/PA