As tensions continue to rise between Iran and the United States, Iranian officials have been keen to paint the Americans as the aggressor and instigator of instability, particularly in the Persian Gulf region, which Iran relies on for shipping its oil.
During a prepared speech at the Caspian Economic Forum in Turkmenistan on Aug. 12, Iranian Vice President Eshag Jahangiri said, “The safety and stability of international waterways and northern and southern beaches and the Strait of Hormuz is our red line.” He continued, “We believe that foreign forces in the Persian Gulf create instability and increase tensions and that only regional countries can and must establish regional security.”
