Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underlined Tehran's support for security in the Persian Gulf, and stated that there is no problem in the region except for the presence of the US and British troops.

"Throughout the history Iran has ensured security in the Persian Gulf but insecurities increase whenever aliens entered the Persian Gulf region," Ahmadinejad said in a press conference in Cairo on Tuesday evening.

"The relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and a majority of the Persian Gulf littoral states have been positive and constructive," he stated, adding that the claims raised by some media about some specific or negative relations among regional states will have no impacts on realities.

"There is no problem in the Persian Gulf, but the presence of the American and British bases which have created special conditions (in the region)," he added.

Most world countries, including Iran, have blamed foreign forces for continued instability in the region and have called for a complete pullout of the aliens.

Iranian military commanders have always reiterated Tehran's commitment to the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and cautioned that foreign military presence will only undermine the security of the strategic waterway.

Iranian officials have repeatedly warned the trans-regional states, specially the US, to pull their troops and warships out of the Persian Gulf.

Iranian officials have also frequently underlined the necessity for the establishment of security in the Persian Gulf through extensive and all-out cooperation among the regional states.
isna/281