Speaking to Al Mayadeen, Mohsen Rezaei said that regional countries should ensure their own security independently, and that all foreign forces, whether American or European, must withdraw from the region.
“We can ensure our own security. We want to establish a regional security council. There are major countries in the region, such as Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, and we can provide security,” he stated.
Rezaei also said Iran will not allow the United States to escape the crisis it created without paying reparations for decades of damage.
Iran is not going to let US President Donald Trump set out an unrealistic plan for the Strait of Hormuz and simply exit the arena, he emphasized.
“Given the unfolding developments and attempts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the United States is seeking to stage a flamboyant gesture and then exit the scene. We will not allow such schemes to materialize,” Rezaei added.
He emphasized that Tehran must secure a satisfactory outcome from indirect negotiations with Washington and derive tangible benefits.
Rezaei noted that the United States must pay reparations for all damage inflicted on Iran.
“We will doubtlessly demand our rights and reparations, even if US military forces return home and withdraw from the region. We have endured them for 47 years and will continue to tread the path of resistance,” the Expediency Council member said.
On February 28, the United States and the Israeli regime launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran, during which then Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials were martyred.
Iranian Armed Forces responded with weeks of missile and drone strikes targeting American and Israeli military positions in the occupied territories and the Persian Gulf region, inflicting heavy damages in 100 waves of counterattacks over a period of 40 days.
Iran’s retaliation also featured the country’s closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz to vessels belonging to enemies and their allies.
The Islamic Republic then subjected the waterway to further restrictions, conditioning passage of vessels to their securing permission from relevant Iranian authorities. The latter move came after the US announced continuation of an illegal blockade it has been trying to impose on Iranian vessels and ports.