Iran says ready for talks on 'regional coalition'

Tehran, Sep 30 (IANS) Iran on Monday announced its readiness for talks on a regional coalition for establishment of peace, the media reported.

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiee made the announcement while referring to an earlier proposal by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who urged the regional states to converge together and solve their problems without the interference of the cross-regional powers.

Iran's proposal for "Coalition of Hope" does not condition the security of the region to the presence of non-regional powers, Rabiee said in his weekly press conference, Xinhua news agency reported.

Besides, Iran's plan is inclusive and does not exclude any regional country for the establishment of a comprehensive security, he said.

"Meanwhile, the Coalition of Hope is not against any country and aims at peace (among regional states) ultimately," he added.

Last week, Rouhani said that Iran's coalition initiative was aimed at securing the Strait of Hormuz and establishing regional peace and cooperation.

"We believe that the solution for (tensions in) the region will come from within the region," he had said.

"Those coming from outside of the region will never bring peace and security," he said, adding that "the Americans have been in the region since 2001 ... and could not establish security anywhere in the region".