Iran says trust-building with regional countries must be mutual

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran is not hostile toward countries in the region and is ready to cooperate to ensure lasting security.

“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports that foreign media published the remarks.

Baghaei added that Iran would not remain silent if its national sovereignty or the security of its population were threatened.

“Iran cannot remain silent if the territory of certain regional states is used to violate its national sovereignty or threaten the security of its population,” he said.

According to the Iranian official, some neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf region place great hopes in the U.S. military presence, rely on it and, in some cases, actively cooperate with Washington.

“Building trust is a two-way process. It is entirely reasonable to expect countries in the region not to allow their territory and infrastructure to be used against their large neighbor,” Baghaei said.

Addressing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian official said the strait could not be reopened while the blockade against his country remained in place:

“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be reopened until the blockade is lifted and Iran’s demands are met.”

Baghaei added that only after that could the parties discuss continuing the diplomatic process.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also said the diplomatic process was still underway and that negotiations were being conducted on the basis of a seven-stage proposal put forward by Tehran.