Iranian Revolutionary Guard: Regional Water Policy Focuses on Collective Security and Territorial Integrity

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared on Thursday that Tehran's policy toward regional waters is anchored in the principles of collective security and respect for the territorial integrity of neighboring states, signaling what officials described as a strategic framework aimed at preserving stability across the Gulf and the wider Middle East. The statement, reported by Al-Araby Television, comes amid heightened maritime tensions and renewed diplomatic engagement between Iran and Arab Gulf states.

A senior IRGC spokesperson said Iran views the security of regional waterways as a shared responsibility that cannot be outsourced to extra-regional powers, repeating a longstanding Iranian position that Gulf security should be managed by littoral states themselves. The remarks emphasized that Iran does not seek confrontation with its neighbors and considers the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region as foundational to any sustainable security arrangement.

The announcement carries weight given the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies transit, and the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint linked to the Red Sea. Tensions in both corridors have spiked over the past two years amid the war in Gaza, Houthi operations against shipping, and intermittent incidents involving commercial vessels in Gulf waters. Iranian officials have repeatedly framed their naval posture as defensive, while Western navies, led by the United States, maintain a heavy presence in the region.

For Qatar, which has positioned itself as a mediator between Tehran and Washington and shares the world's largest natural gas field with Iran, the IRGC statement aligns with Doha's longstanding call for de-escalation and inclusive dialogue in the Gulf. Qatari officials have repeatedly stressed that regional stability requires direct engagement with Iran rather than isolation, a view increasingly echoed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following their respective rapprochements with Tehran.

Gulf Cooperation Council states have in recent months intensified back-channel coordination with Iran on maritime safety, fisheries, and environmental protection in the Gulf, alongside parallel discussions on Yemen and Iraq. Analysts say the IRGC's framing of water policy in terms of collective security reflects an attempt to lock in diplomatic gains achieved since the 2023 China-brokered Saudi-Iranian normalization.

The statement did not reference specific incidents or name external powers, but Iranian officials have in past weeks criticized what they describe as destabilizing foreign military deployments in the Gulf. Tehran continues to call for the formation of a regional security mechanism that includes all eight littoral states and excludes non-regional actors, a proposal Qatar has signaled openness to exploring through quiet diplomacy.