TEHRAN – The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the U.S.-led coalitions have only ended in more insecurity and instability across the world.

Al Jazeera reported on Friday that a U.S.-led naval coalition officially launched operations in Bahrain on Thursday to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Persian Gulf, following a string of attacks that Washington and its allies blamed on Iran.

The coalition, supposedly aimed at warding off the perceived threat to the world's oil supply, has been in the making since June.

“The history has proven that the U.S.-formed coalitions have always been a futile title and have thus far not created security; instead, they have brought about insecurity and instability to the world,” Mousavi remarked.

Noting that Washington abuses other nations’ name in coalitions to portray its unilateral measures as legal, Mousavi said, “This measure, via which the U.S. hides its own interests and objectives behind a rare number of countries, is a testament to the U.S. weakness and lack of international legitimacy.” 

He further called on the regional countries to rely on their own and neighbors’ capacities to restore sustainable and all-out security to the region. 

“Iran as a country with the longest coastline along the Persian Gulf will strongly seek its own security and economic interests including safety of shipping,” the Foreign Ministry official pointed out. 

Iran, which has denied any responsibility for the suspicious attacks, has put forward its own proposals for boosting the Persian Gulf security that pointedly excludes outside powers.

Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, joined the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in August. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) followed suit in September.

Australia and the UK are the main Western countries to have agreed to send warships to escort the Persian Gulf shipping. The newest member, Albania, joined on Friday.

Vessels will be escorted through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the head of the Persian Gulf and the main artery for the transport of Middle East oil. 

MJ/PA