TEHRAN - First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri on Monday insisted on the need for security in Iran’s northern and southern waters, saying keeping security in the Strait of Hormuz is extremely significant and it is a “red line” for Iran.

Jahangiri made the remarks during a speech at the first Caspian Economic Forum in Awaza, Turkmenistan.

The statement by the vice president comes as the U.S. is seeking to form a maritime military alliance to purportedly guard shipping the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. 

“We consider presence of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf the reason behind instability and tension. We believe that only the regional countries should maintain security in the region. We consider interference and presence of extra-regional countries under the name of any coalition a serious threat against the regional peace, stability and security,” the vice president stated.

He also criticized the U.S. unilateralism and use of sanctions as tools to achieve its objectives which has endangered the regional security.

Elsewhere, he said that interaction with neighbors is priority of Iran’s foreign policy.

For example, he said, Iran is determined to expand economic and political interaction with the Caspian Sea littoral states.

In a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the forum, Jahangiri said that the U.S. seeks to undermine security in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

“The U.S. actions in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman harm the regional security and stability and we expect member states to the UN Security Council such as Russia to warn the U.S. against such acts,” he said.

For his part, Medvedev called for expansion of relations.

NA/PA