US-UK-France Drill in Persian Gulf Not Unexpected: Iran’s DM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – It was natural for the US, Britain and France to decide to hold a joint naval war game in the Persian Gulf in the current situation, Iran’s minister of defense said Wednesday, noting that such moves will get nowhere.
The plan for a joint war game by the US, Britain and France in the Persian Gulf was natural, Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said on Wednesday.
The international atmosphere after Donald Trump’s rise to power in the US has caused concern about future in the littoral states on the southern side of the Persian Gulf and prompted the Europeans to ensure their presence in the region and provide assurance to their allies, Dehqan explained.
Highlighting the futility of such military moves, the Iranian minister underlined that governments that seek to appease others instead of pursuing their own national interests will achieve no success.
The comments came after naval forces from the US, Britain, France and Australia started a joint naval exercise, called Unified Trident, in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Bahrain on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in his comments, Dehqan dismissed any slowdown in cooperation between Iran and Russia in the fight against terrorism in Syria, saying the close coordination has resulted in success in the battlefield, which in turn paved the way for political talks and holding of Syrian-Syrian negotiations in Astana.
Iran and Russia have formed a strong alliance in recent years, with both supporting the Syrian government against foreign-backed militancy.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (ISIL), controlling parts of it.
