Iran Slams PGCC Statement, Reiterates Sovereignty over 3 Iranian Islands
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected the recent statement issued by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC), saying that it shows “lack of understanding of historical facts and the ongoing realities in the region."
Foreign ministers of member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, in a statement issued at the end of their 130th meeting in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh on Tuesday, declared support for the United Arab Emirates’ claim of sovereignty over three Iranian islands located in the Persian Gulf.
In reply, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham slammed as baseless those repeated claims on Wednesday, and reasserted Iran’s everlasting sovereignty over the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunbs and Lesser Tunbs in the Persian Gulf.
She also reacted to the PGCC’s allegations of Iran’s alleged intervention in the internal affairs of Bahrain, and said the statement by the Arab ministers stems from “the lack of a proper understanding of the historical realities and the ongoing conditions in the region.”
“The allegations attributed to the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding Bahrain’s internal situation are completely baseless,” Afkham stressed.
The spokeswoman reiterated that Iran’s principal policy towards the neighboring countries is based upon “observing good neighborliness, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of the other countries.”
She further criticized the PGCC for trying to attribute the problems in Bahrain to the other states, noting that such an attitude “results from the Bahraini officials’ confusion over the nation’s legitimate demands, and aims to divert the public attention from the realities on the ground inside Bahrain.”
The Persian Gulf state has seen frequent unrest since authorities cracked down on the popular uprising against the ruling monarchy in early 2011.
Human rights organizations have also accused the West of turning a blind eye to the crackdown, because it considers Bahrain as strategically important, providing a haven for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia, whose forces helped the Al Khalifa regime in its bloody repression of the popular uprising in 2011 and still has a military presence there, is much resented by the Bahraini people.
