TEHRAN, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- An Iranian official in Tehran Sunday called on Persian Gulf states to form a NATO-like alliance for collective security.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Iraq and Iran should "agree on a security arrangement that will meet the interests of their nations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said in a news conference.
He said the regional states "should agree on the security cooperation they want among themselves so foreigners will not have the excuse to stay in the region," pointing to the continued presence of U.S. forces in the region, Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
"These U.S. policies are against regional security and stability," Hosseini said. "It never takes the interests of regional countries into consideration."
There was no report of a response from any other Persian Gulf countries to Hosseini's suggestion.
NATO's collective security concept says any breach of peace is of concern to all participating countries and results in a collective response.
