Iran cautions Japan over sending troops to Persian Gulf

The Iranian Embassy in Tokyo has advised the government of Japan against its decision to deploy a small naval squad for intelligence gathering mission in the Persian Gulf.

Iran PressMiddle East: "Presence of foreign forces will not be assessed for regional peace, stability, and security," Iran's mission said in a Twitter message on Friday.

It came after Japan announced it will send a ship, planes to carry out intelligence sharing with the US-led naval operation early next year which Tokyo said will not involve the use of arms.

Japan said its deployment would not participate directly with the US-led coalition in a bid to maintain its friendly ties with Iran following Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Tokyo last week.

The deployment consists of dispatching a Japanese vessel to the region and redirecting one of two P-3C patrol planes from anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.

In return, Iran's embassy stressed Tehran's initiative Hope (Hormuz Peace Initiative) as a vernacular and effective means to reduce tension in the region.

"It is expected that friendly countries act on their international obligations to secure shipping through timely and practical support of HOPE," it tweeted.

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