Khatibzadeh responds to Arab League FMs' anti-Iran statement

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Saeed Khatibzadeh, refused the accusations stated in the 157th Arab FM's meeting and said that repeated and baseless accusations of Iran's intervention in the affairs of others by countries intervening in Yemen and other conflicts in West Asia are unacceptable.

Khatibzadeh further said it is regretful that the behavior against Tehran and the accusations laid against it remain unchanged, considering that this unfruitful behavior goes against regional diplomatic overtures made by these countries with Iran over the past months.

The publishing of such statements, the Spokesperson said, represents an obstacle before the strengthening of Iran's relations with its neighboring countries. He also reiterated Iran's position in calling its neighboring countries for dialogue and to resolve misunderstandings through diplomacy.

Regarding Iran's three islands in the Gulf, Khatibzadeh refused the statement and said all of Tehran's measures fall within the framework of working for its sovereignty and territorial integrity, denouncing foreign intervention in this regard.

Furthermore, he said the preservation and safeguarding of nuclear achievements and of Iran's defense capabilities are part of the country's strategic policies, stressing that statements such as the one released yesterday do not affect the country's development of its peaceful nuclear industry.

The Arab League's statement had considered what it called Iran's "interference" in the affairs of Arab states as both "dangerous and unacceptable" and as part of the alleged "Iranian regime's" praxis of destabilizing regional security.