Earlier, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Hossein Salami, said that any country that attacks Iran would be the "main battlefield".
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran will not allow anyone to violate its borders. He added that the Islamic Republic extends the hand of friendship to all of its neighbors.
Cooperation Project on Security in Persian Gulf
Iran will present a proposal to the UN on how it intends to cooperate with other countries in the region to ensure the security of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, according to Rouhani.
"In a few days we will present a project to the global community in the United Nations, according to which Iran in cooperation and with the help of the countries of the region will ensure security of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on Iranian state television.
In August, the United States called upon Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, South Korea and the United Kingdom, among others, to join a coalition that would ensure safe maritime passage through the strategic pathways of the Gulf by means of aerial surveillance and actual patrol ships. The United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates have already supported the plea. London has sent its Navy vessels Kent and Defender to join the Montrose and Duncan destroyers in the Hormuz Strait.
Tensions Over Drone Attacks
Last week, the drone attack on Saudi Aramco forced the Saudi Arabian national oil company to shut down its Abqaiq and Khurais facilities. Although the responsibility was claimed by the military wing of Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, Saudi Arabia and the United States have put the blame on Iran. Tehran has refuted the accusations.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford announced on Friday that the US would be sending some of its forces to Saudi Arabia "in response to the Kingdom's request". Esper added that the deployment of US forces will be defensive in nature.
Earlier, the US administration ordered new economic sanctions against Iran, targeting the country's central bank and its sovereign wealth fund. The Iranian Foreign Ministry responded by saying that Americans should understand that their sanctions policy has failed.
