TEHRAN, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Top Iranian security official on Monday urged the foreign forces to leave the region, semi-official FARS news agency reported.

"Security in the region can only be achieved through the removal of external factors" which are against the stability of the region, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, was quoted as saying.

He said that "the recent U.S. force's increased mobility in the region is a show of defiance and fear."

Earlier in the day, Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also said that Iran has sent messages to the United States to avoid any new "adventurism" in the region.

"We have not been looking for a tension in the region and we are not," said Khatibzadeh, adding that "We will not hesitate to defend our country...We hope the wise in Washington will defuse tensions."