Hormuz Peace Plan Not Limited to Security Issues

The regional initiative that Iran will introduce at the United Nations is aimed at ensuring lasting peace in the Persian Gulf and is not limited to security issues, President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday. 
"The Hormuz Peace Plan invites all Persian Gulf states as well as the United Nations to work together to guarantee security in the region," he told reporters in Tehran before departing for New York to attend the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly that kicks off on Sept. 24, his website reported. 
"This proposal is not just about security matters and covers a wider range of issues," he said, adding that he will provide further details about the initiative during his visit to New York.  
"We hope to be able to show to the world with this initiative that Iran is seeking lasting peace in the region." 
The peace plan comes against the backdrop of rising tensions between Iran and the United States following the Sept. 14 attacks on Saudi oil facilities that Riyadh and American officials have blamed on Iran. 
Tehran denies involvement in the assault claimed by the Yemeni Houthi group, which is currently fighting a Saudi-led alliance in Yemen's civil war.
The administration of US President Donald Trump ordered additional troops to be deployed in the Persian Gulf for "deterrence and defense" after the incident. 
Washington is also leading a maritime coalition, which includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Britain and Australia, with the stated goal of securing the area's waterways and vital oil trade routes.
Rouhani said the US government is to blame for the "tense" situation in the Persian Gulf, adding that the Americans are leveling new accusations against Tehran to conceal their ulterior motives.

Propaganda Campaign 

The Iranian president noted that the United States has been exaggerating the damage done by the attack on Saudi oil facilities, because it wants to take control of the region, sell more weapons to regional countries and strengthen its foothold in this part of the world. 
"The Americans have been present in the region since 2001 but their presence has never led to regional security," the president said, referring to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. 
He noted that the US has never been this much "isolated" on the international stage and is being criticized by a majority of countries for its actions. 
Trump's foreign policy decisions in recent years, including his last year's exit from the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Tehran and world powers and the reimposition of sanctions against the Iranian economy, have alienated Washington from its traditional allies. 
Rouhani said new US sanctions, under which Iran's central bank was blacklisted for a second time, signals America's "complete desperation" in the face of Iranian resistance and shows that its "maximum pressure" has failed.
According to Reuters, the United States on Friday imposed another round of sanctions on Iran, including on its central bank that was already blacklisted.