Iran slams allegations raised in GCC statement as baseless

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The Iranian Foreign Ministry criticized the final communiqué of the summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which contained unfounded accusations against Tehran, as an ineffective attempt by some council members to cover up their crisis-instigating actions.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani denounced the anti-Iran statements included in a joint statement released by China and the GCC members as a continuation of the council's failed "Iranophobic policy".

The declaration was made on Friday at the conclusion of the council's 43rd summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh, which also marked the end of Chinese President Xi Jinping's official visit to the Kingdom.

Kanaani criticized the statement on Saturday, calling it a "futile attempt" by the Council's members "to cover up their financial, political, and logistical support for terrorist groups operating in the region."

He urged the Council to reconsider its approaches to regional issues and instead adopt a "constructive" course of action. He made reference to the enormous material and human losses inflicted on the regional people as a result of the "destructive policies" of a number of GCC members.

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The GCC members affirmed their support for what they called the United Arab Emirates' efforts to reach a "peaceful solution" regarding the three Iranian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Lesser Tunb, and the Greater Tunb, to which the UAE lays an unfounded claim.

Kanaani reasserted Iran's principled position on the islands, calling them "an inseparable and permanent" part of the Islamic Republic's territory, Press TV reported.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran considers any claim to the islands to be destabilizing, (and an instance of) intervention in its internal affairs and (violation of its) territorial sovereignty, and strongly condemns it," the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said.

The GCC statement also accused Iran of posing a threat to "the safety of international waterways and oil facilities."

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In response, Kanaani stated that the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces are adamant about maintaining the maritime security of the surrounding waters and that such statements cannot change their determination to uphold the security of both their nation and the area.

Moreover, Kanaani said that after China's President attended the GCC summit and the anti-Iran statement was released, the Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua met with officials from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

He said, during the meeting, that the Islamic Republic conveyed its "intense discontent" over the final statement's interventionist approach to Iran's territorial integrity, repeating Iran's rightful ownership of the three Gulf Islands.

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"Like any other part of the Iranian territory, the three islands have never been and will never be subject to negotiation with any country," the Spokesperson said.

The Chinese envoy, for his part, reiterated Beijing's respect for Iran's territorial integrity, saying Xi's trip to Riyadh coincided with the summit and was part of Beijing's efforts to support the further consolidation of regional peace and stability and to advance negotiation as a means of resolving regional issues.

The Ambassador went on to say that Beijing's approach to the Gulf region is one of "balance", noting that the Chinese Deputy Prime Minister's upcoming trip to Iran will demonstrate this strategy.