Tehran Dialogue Forum to Focus on Hormuz Initiative

EghtesadOnline: The 23rd International Persian Gulf Conference of Tehran Dialogue Forum that is scheduled for Jan. 7-8 will focus on regional cooperation plans, particularly Iran's initiative dubbed Hormuz Peace Endeavor.

News ID: ۷۴۹۳۱۷

29 December 2019

Iranian political officials and top authorities from regional states as well as domestic and international pundits, heads of research institutes and leading experts are expected to attend the event, organized by the Foreign Ministry's Institute for Political and International Studies.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will most likely address the opening ceremony of the conference, ISNA reported.

In addition to the Hormuz plan, participants in general and specialized discussion panels will review the latest developments in the Persian Gulf and exchange views about the main principles for new regional arrangements, Financial Tribune reported.

Hormuz peace initiative—Iran's solution to Persian Gulf insecurity—was unveiled by President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

It calls on all Persian Gulf states and the UN to work together for ensuring peace and stability in the region.

The plan was drafted following a recent rise in tensions in the already volatile region, with several attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz in May and June, and more recently an assault on Saudi oil facilities.

It offers an alternative for the United States' international security coalition that Washington launched with the purported purpose of protecting shipping lines in the strategic waters. The plan has not received a warm welcome, as only a few of US allies, such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, have agreed to join.

The US, which is already at odds with Iran over the 2015 nuclear deal, has accused Iran of involvement in the incidents while Tehran has rejected it and called for the cooperation of all regional states to defuse tensions without foreign intervention.