Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic of Iran in cooperation with regional countries can maintain security of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to reporters, he said countries of the region without reliance on foreign powers can shoulder such a grave task. The US President in a letter to Iran has calimed that the US is responsible for maintaining the security of the Persian Gulf but this is among the main responsibilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran to maintain security of the region as well as the Strait of Hormuz, he said. Presence of the US and Britain in the region only brings insecurity there, Rezaei underlined. He advised the US and Britain to leave the region as the countries of the region can maintain the security of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.