Iran Press/ Africa: Highlighting the fact that the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea were secure, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi told his French counterpart that the presence of the US and European vessels was not understandable and it was rather to make the inter-navy talks ineffective.
Admiral Khanzadi stressed that Iran's Navy accurately observed the US and European vessels' movements, including France, from far distances.
"The fact that EU and American vessels are present near our shores cannot be left unanswered, and we believe that the such security coalitions do not strength collective security and should be stopped," he emphasized.
The Chief of Staff of the French Navy Admiral Pierre Vandier, for his part, appreciated the Islamic Republic of Iran for managing the IONS meeting for three years, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Admiral Vandier referred to the Trump Administration's inviting of its allies to further the military pressure on Iran and said the French navy withdrew the demand somehow and did not participate in any US operations.
Iran is a permanent member of IONS and has held its 3-year presidency since 2018.
The IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.
The IONS has 24 members, including Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, France, Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Seychelles, Thailand, Timor Leste, and the UK.
There are also 8 observers, namely China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Russia and Spain.
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