Iran Dismisses Allegations Raised in PGCC Statement
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh denounced the “hackneyed and groundless” accusations leveled against Iran in the final communiqué of the Supreme Council of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC).
In a statement released on Wednesday, Khatibzadeh dismissed the council’s final communiqué on Iran’s regional activities at the end of its 42nd meeting, which was held in Riyadh.
Rejecting the hackneyed and baseless allegations that the council has leveled against Iran, the spokesman said such statements reveal that some members of the PGCC have kept their unconstructive and inappropriate attitudes towards Iran.
“There were expectations that following the recent diplomatic measures and moves between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the (Persian Gulf) Cooperation Council, we would witness the council’s new outlook on regional cooperation,” he said.
The spokesman also called on a few PGCC members that keep hiding behind the council and issue their unconstructive stances in the name of the PGCC to reconsider their views and approaches about regional issues and replace the hackneyed allegations with a path to cooperation.
“It’s most unfortunate that the continuation of war on Yemen, escalation of foreign militarism, and presence of the Zionist regime as a destructive element have threatened security and stability of the region,” he added, voicing Iran’s concern about those issues.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran would not tolerate any interference in its peaceful nuclear program, its defense and missile program, and the affairs relating to its military and deterrent defense policies,” Khatibzadeh underlined.
He reasserted Iran’s sovereignty over three Persian Gulf islands, saying the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa are an integral part of Iran’s territory forever. “The Islamic Republic of Iran slams any claim over those islands as interference in its internal affairs and territorial sovereignty, and strongly condemns it.”
“All of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s measures on the (three) islands have been taken in line with the inalienable rights and in accordance with the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the spokesman noted.
He categorically rejected the interventionist comments about the islands and emphasized that such allegations would have no effect on legal and historical realities.
“According to its strategic view and principled policies, the new administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran always considers the solution to regional problems to be based upon interaction and cooperation with the neighbors, and welcomes the compelling initiatives for the promotion of relations on the basis of international principles and regulations,” he concluded.