Iran warns France and Britain against deploying warships to Strait of Hormuz

Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi warns European countries against deploying warships to the Strait of Hormuz, saying that Iran would not allow any interference by extra-regional forces regarding the security of the strategic waterway.

In a message posted on his X network on Sunday, Gharibabadi reacted to the decision of France and Britain to dispatch military ships to the region. He noted that the Islamic Republic is the sole country that can establish security in this strait, whether in times of war or peace.
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Referring to the plan of the two European countries, he wrote that France has announced dispatching its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, in preparation for a future joint Paris-London cooperation in the Strait of Hormuz.
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This is while, he added, the British government has said it would send one of its warships to the Red Sea, along with France.
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Stating that Iran would not allow any interference in its waters, Gharibabadi warned that any deployment and dispatch of extra-regional forces around the Strait of Hormuz, under the pretext of protecting shipping, would only escalate the crisis.
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He clarified further that militarization of the vital waterway will be deemed an attempt to cover up the real root of insecurity in the region, a reference to the unprovoked US-Israeli war on Iran.
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Maritime security is not ensured by a display of military power, especially by those who are themselves part of the problems by supporting, participating in, or remaining silent on aggression and blockade, the senior diplomat said, scolding Western countries for their inaction over the illegal war and sanctions imposed on Iran.
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The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized that the source of insecurity in the region lies in the illegal use of force, continuous threats against coastal states, naval blockade, and disregard for the United Nations Charter by the US, Israel, and their backers.
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Gharibabadi noted that the Strait of Hormuz is not the common property of trans-regional powers but a sensitive waterway. Iran, being a coastal state, has sovereignty over it, along with the right to determine its legal arrangements, he added.
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He concluded his post with a caution that French and British warships or those from any other country would be met with a decisive and immediate response from the Iranian Armed Forces, if they possibly accompany any illegal and hostile actions of the United States in the Strait of Hormuz.[IRNA]