Iran’s ambassador to Riyadh suggests fresh outlook on regional security

Ali-Reza Enayati made the remarks to Iran's Arabic-language al-Alam television news network on Tuesday.

"Today, we are after more cooperation with each other and prioritize [the issue of] regional security based on [the concept of] development," the envoy said.

Security does not come by through either weapons or ammunition or military forces, Enayati asserted, calling militarization of the issue of security "a great mistake."

The United States and its Western allies have been encouraging regional countries to buy billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art weaponry for decades on end.

In order to increase sales, the Western allies have been investing heavily in the antagonization of the region's countries against one another through either political coercion or media-delivered propaganda.

Iran has, however, invariably warned the regional players against being lured by Western enticement.

The Islamic Republic stresses that regional security has to be provided by regional countries in cooperation with one another, noting that security cannot be either imported from abroad or realized through foreign military intervention.

"In [its] new sense, security has to be based on economic, commercial, social, and cultural development," Enayati noted, saying the Islamic Republic welcomes such a vantage point.

The envoy made the remarks following accreditation by Saudi Arabia as Iran's new ambassador to Riyadh.

Back in March, China successfully mediated talks between the countries that led to their signing of a deal enabling the restoration of their diplomatic ties following many years of estrangement.

Observers have welcomed the development as a counterweight to efforts aimed at the alienation of the region's countries from each other, saying the rapprochement serves to invigorate regional cohesion and integrity.