Iran Rejects ‘Hackneyed’ Allegations in PGCC Summit’s Communique

In remarks on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi dismissed the final statement issued at the end of the 40th summit of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) and certain anti-Iran allegations made at the summit in Riyadh.

“The repetition of groundless allegations in that statement results from the political pressures from a few members of the Council, which have made every effort during the past couple of decades to prevent the promotion of multilateral cooperation,” the Iranian spokesperson said.

“With their short-sightedness throughout these years, not only have they (certain PGCC members) allowed for the plunder of the neighbouring countries’ wealth, but they have paved the way for further interference from the aliens in this sensitive region,” Mousavi deplored.

“A few number of the Council’s members are willing to ruin the opportunities for cooperation, provided by our country for the purpose of creating security and stability in the region, by keeping up their unwise policies,” the Iranian official noted, urging other regional countries to stand against those policies.

Highlighting the Islamic Republic of Iran’s responsible behaviour throughout the past years, Mousavi said, “Proposing a Non-Aggression Pact, the Regional Dialogue Forum, and ultimately the Hormuz Peace Endeavour are among the efforts by our country for the materialization of regional cooperation.”

The spokesperson then called on a few countries supporting the continuation of unwise policies in the region to explain to the region’s public opinion what measures they have taken to reduce the regional tensions other than creating and strengthening terrorist and Takfiri groups in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, or letting aliens in the Persian Gulf.

“The countries whose irresponsible meddling in other countries has led to the massacre of innocent citizens, from women and children to the elderly, and has resulted in the spread of insecurity and terrorism in the region, are attempting to evade the consequences of and the international punishment for the blatant violation of the international law and their war crimes by pinning the blame on the others,” Mousavi underlined.

The spokesperson further underlined that the three islands of the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa are indispensable and eternal parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s territories, adding, “Our country regards any claim on those islands as interference in its internal affairs and its territorial boundaries, and strongly condemns it.”

“All activities by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the (three) islands have been in line with the country’s inalienable rights and in compliance with its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he stated.

“The repetition of such meddlesome stances in any form is categorically rejected, and has not had and will not have any impact on the legal and historical realities on the ground.”

Slamming the PGCC’s reaction to a reduction of Iran’s JCPOA commitments as a “historical irony”, the spokesman said, “The countries that invested all of their efforts and capital in the failure of the JCPOA are now opposing Iran’s legitimate measures.”

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also strongly condemned the PGCC statement’s brazen support for the US economic terrorism against the great Iranian nation, saying such support runs counter to the policy of good-neighbourliness.

“Many of the bogus and repetitious claims in that (PGCC) statement do not merit a response,” Mousavi noted, expressing hope that those PGCC members would shift their policies and opt for cooperation instead of making such provocative remarks which only result in the continuation of the current destructive trend and which steer the region towards a vague future.