Iran rejects claims in NATO summit communique

The two-day summit was held in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius to discuss the Russian war on Ukraine and Sweden’s accession to the military alliance.

In a final communique on Tuesday, the heads of state and government of NATO countries expressed concern about Iran’s “escalation of its nuclear programme,” and what they called “malicious activities within Allied territory,” support for Russia, and “destabilizing actions, including seizures of maritime vessels,” in the Persian Gulf region.

The Iranian Embassy in the Belgian capital, where the NATO headquarters is also located, later issued a statement rejecting those allegations.

It called claims about Iran’s involvement in the Ukraine war “unfounded” and reiterated Iran’s official stance of neutrality in the conflict as well as respect for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all countries including Ukraine.

The mission said that while Iran was adhering to international law, a number of NATO countries were actively supporting riots in Iran by giving refuge to and aiding terrorist elements and organizations inside of the country.

“Furthermore, Iran has played a constructive role in assisting regional countries to confront destabilizing forces, which are mainly supported from outside of the region,” the Iranian Embassy said.

The statement by the mission reiterated Iran’s continued compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), even though, it said, several NATO countries, “which are parties to the JCPOA as well,” had consistently violated their own obligations under the deal.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on NATO member states to stop leveling baseless accusations against Iran and perform their commitments under the United Nations Charter,” it said.