Iran's Defence Minister, Amir Hatami, asserted that “the military coalition that the U.S. wants to form under the pretext of providing shipping security will only further escalate insecurity in the region”. Hatami added that “security must be provided by the regional countries, who should enter constructive negotiations in this regard”, and argued that “the region should not become a place for the free presence of aliens”. He also indicated that Israeli involvement in U.S.-led maritime initiatives “would be extremely provocative and have disastrous consequences for the region”.