Commander of Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on Wednesday that Iran is very interested in maintaining the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and strongly avoids any conflict with any country in any part of the world.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the US has no business and is not welcome in the region and must leave it, stressing that the security of the Persian Gulf can be ensured only by neighbors not outsiders.