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Al-Monitor – Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has condemned the latest statement from the meeting between the UK and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Saeed Khatibzadeh said, “Iran has always played a responsible role in reinforcing peace and stability in the region and based on this has called on the countries in the region for talks and cooperation.” He added, “Western countries, through the sale of modern arms to regional countries, are a significant factor in creating tension and causing human catastrophes in the region.”
Khatibzadeh continued, “Based on its principled strategies and policies, Iran sees the solution to regional problems through cooperation and dialogue between regional countries.” He said that Iran has acted within its commitments when it comes to the non-proliferation treaty and will “continue to enjoy the benefits of the peaceful use of nuclear energy.”
The UK-GCC statement urged Iran to seize on the opportunity to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which the US exited in 2018 under President Donald Trump. As a result, Iran took steps away from the terms of the deal, which President Joe Biden wants to now reenter and have Iran back in full compliance. The UK-GCC statement said that Iran’s continued nuclear progress “is permanently eroding the benefits of the deal and undermining regional and international security” and warned that it could push the region to a “crisis point.”
Iran’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mohsen Baharvand, also criticized the joint statement, saying, “The path to security, friendship and welfare does not come through London … but through the participation of all regional countries.”
GCC countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, supported President Trump’s decision to exit the JCPOA and re-apply international sanctions against Iran. However, given Iran’s nuclear advances and the potential for a military strike against Iran and Iranian retaliation against US bases and interests in the region, concerns have grown that a crisis could spread beyond Iran’s borders.
In the last three days, Iran has been conducting military drills in the Persian Gulf, testing and displaying new weapons. Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ground forces, said that today Iran’s drones “can target any point necessary.”
The new administration of Ebrahim Raisi has a renewed focus on regional ties, and away from Western countries. Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian is currently visiting Azerbaijan, where he met with government officials, including President Ilham Aliyev.
