Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, has said that Iran aims to control the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, either directly or through the militias it funds.
During his participation in the Rome Mediterranean Dialogue, Aboul Gheit referred to the attacks carried out by Iran in the summer of 2019, as well as to the ongoing threat posed by the Houthis to navigation in the Red Sea.
In a statement issued by the Arab League on Saturday, Aboul Gheit pointed out that the stability of navigation in these straits is essential for the global economy, and that maintaining freedom of navigation without threat is a global priority.
Aboul Gheit spoke about Gulf security and the dangers of the Iranian threat to freedom of maritime navigation in a session devoted to discussing this issue, with the participation of Director General of the Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi.
He explained that the Iranian behavior in the region, and the clear tendency to dominate and interfere in the Arab countries, are the reason behind the difficulty of establishing a security system in the Gulf based on cooperation and the common welfare of the peoples.
He said that several initiatives have been put forward in this regard, but the main problem remains the lack of confidence due to Iranian policies that represent a threat to its neighbors.
Aboul Gheit stressed that Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons would trigger an arms race in the region.
He expressed his hope that the ongoing negotiations would succeed in dissuading Iran from achieving this goal in order to avoid the security situation from deteriorating to something more dangerous.
He added that it is difficult to address the Iranian nuclear program without considering the fact that there is an already existing nuclear power in the region ;noting to (Israel), especially in light of its insistence on destroying the two-state solution and wasting opportunities for its implementation,
