Iran rejects GCC statement on three Iranian islands

Iran Press TV

Friday, 17 September 2021 11:20 AM

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has reacted to the final statement of the latest meeting of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), stressing that the islands of Greater Tunb, lesser Tunb and Abu Musa definitely belong to Iran.

Saeed Khatibzadeh made the remark in response to the latest GCC statement on Friday, adding that the "baseless and repetitive" allegations in this regard will not change the fact that the islands will remain as the sovereignty Iranian territory forever.

On Thursday night, the GCC issued its final statement at the end of its 149 meeting at the level of foreign ministers, in which it leveled familiar accusations against the Islamic Republic.

The statement reiterated the so-called sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over the Iranian islands, with members of the council claiming that "any action that Iran takes on these three islands is invalid and has no effect on the sovereignty of the UAE over them."

It further called on Iran to respond to the UAE's efforts to resolve the issue through direct negotiations or refer the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In his remarks, Khatibzadeh also said the Islamic Republic of Iran will allow no interference in its peaceful nuclear and missile programs, as well as matters related to its deterrence and defense policies.

The Iranian spokesman also reiterated that the Islamic Republic of Iran's priority, particularly that of the new government, is strengthening cooperation and developing relations with all its neighbors without foreign interference.

He also expressed hope that members of the council would pay attention to regional negotiations and take confidence-building measures to strengthen diplomacy, instead of making unrealistic demands from foreign countries.

Khatibzadeh said the council should know that unacceptable requests, as well as false accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran and repeated allegations are not the solution to the problems of the region, stressing that there needs to be a constructive interaction between the regional countries.