According to CoinMeta, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated in an interview broadcast on August 18 that recent military conflicts between Iran and the United States and Israel have proven that reliance on external military forces and bases cannot guarantee the security of Gulf countries. Zarif pointed out that the presence of U.S. troops and military bases not only fails to provide security for these countries but has instead become a factor that undermines security. Countries without U.S. military bases are actually safer. Zarif also mentioned that Iran does not seek merely a ceasefire but rather a complete end to the war and does not want to be trapped in a cycle of brief cease-fires followed by renewed hostilities.