Araghchi excoriates US military buildup in Persian Gulf
Iran’s foreign minister in a post on X criticized the US military presence in the Persian Gulf, saying Washington is attempting to dictate how Tehran should conduct military activity near its own borders.
Abbas Araghchi attached an image to his post, highlighting the geographic distance between the United States and Iran with the Strait of Hormuz marked to underscore Iran’s proximity to the strategic waterway.
“Operating off our shores, the US military is now attempting to dictate how our Powerful Armed Forces should conduct target practice in their own turf,” he said.
Araghchi stressed that freedom of navigation and the safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait are of vital importance to Iran and its neighbors, arguing that “the presence of outside forces in our region has always caused the exact opposite of what is declared: promoting escalation instead of de-escalation.”
His remarks came amid the US military buildup in the Persian Gulf region and tensions with Iran. US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with military attacks over the Islamic Republic’s response to recent foreign-backed riots which were triggered by protests over economic woes on December 28.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway through which around 20% of the world’s oil supply passes.