Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman rejects baseless claims of Persian Gulf Cooperation Council

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has rejected the baseless claims made in a statement issued at the end of the 152nd meeting of the foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council. He said issuing such repetitive and destructive statements is indicative of the completely-wrong approach adopted by some of the council’s member states and their strategic confusion vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has rejected the baseless claims made in a statement issued at the end of the 152nd meeting of the foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council. He said issuing such repetitive and destructive statements is indicative of the completely-wrong approach adopted by some of the council’s member states and their strategic confusion vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Issuing such clichéd statements runs counter to the principle of good neighborliness, has no other special mission than creating tension in the region, and are apparently aimed at neutralizing the goals of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s engagement in diplomatic activities with its neighbors, including some friendly states and partners which are among members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council,” he added.
Khatibzadeh also commented on the statement’s reference to Iran’s nuclear program.
He said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the countries committed to it have been clearly specified in the text of the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, and based on that, the parties to the recent negotiations in Vienna are clearly known to any individual familiar with the basics of international issues; therefore, bringing up such demands — the makers of which are well-aware of their groundless and unjustifiable nature — only shows the depth of the council’s ignorance of obvious facts and brings nothing but a growing lack of credibility for them.
In the same context, the council, which has turned into the largest stockpile of American and Western weapons in the world, is in no position to comment on missile programs and affairs related to military and deterrent polices of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he added.
Khatibzadeh reaffirmed Iran’s position that the three islands of Greater Tunb, lesser Tunb and Abu Musa are an inseparable and permanent part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s soil, adding that the Islamic Republic views any claim to these islands as interference in its domestic issues and territorial affairs and sharply condemns it.
“Repeating such interventionist stances in any form is rejected and has and will have no impact on the existing legal and historical facts,” he said.
The spokesman stressed, “Based on its strategic views and fundamental policies, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has always considered neighborly interactions and cooperation as a solution to regional issues and welcomes all initiatives regarding the development of relations based on regulations and principles of international law.