Foreign Ministry spokesman: GCC statement repetition of failed policy of Iranophobia

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned anti-Iran remarks featured in a joint statement issued by China and the member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as continuation of the council's failed "Iranophobic policy."

The statement was issued on Friday at the end of the council's 43rd summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh, which coincided with the termination of an official visit to the kingdom by China's President Xi Jinping.

Speaking on Saturday, the ministry's spokesman, Nasser Kan'ani, denounced the statement as a "futile attempt" by the council's members "to cover up their financial, political and logistical support for terrorist groups operating in the region."

The official referred 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, urging the council to revisit its approaches to regional issues and rather adopt a "constructive" course of action.

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

The strategically-positioned islands have always been part of Iran, the proof of which can be corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents inside the Islamic Republic and elsewhere in the world.

• Iran says will never compromise on national integrity; reaffirms sovereignty over Persian Gulf islands

Kan'ani reasserted Iran's principled position on the islands, calling them "an inseparable and permanent" part of the Islamic Republic's territory.

"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 spokesman said.

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

Responding to the claim, Kan'ani said the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces are determined to preserve the maritime security of the regional waters, and such statements could not dent their resolve to protect the security of their country and the region.

"Chinese ambassador in Foreign Ministry in protest at GCC statement"

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kan'ani said the Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua has been invited to the Foreign Ministry after China's president partook in the GCC summit that led to issuance of the anti-Iran statement.

During the meeting, he said, 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 Persian Gulf Islands.

"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 spokesman said.

For his part, the Chinese envoy reaffirmed Beijing's respect for Iran's territorial integrity, saying Xi paid the visit to Riyadh at the time of the summit as part of Beijing's efforts to help further consolidate regional peace and stability, and to promote negotiation as an instrument of resolving the regional problems, the spokesman said.

The ambassador added that Beijing's foreign policy towards the Persian Gulf region is based on "balance," noting that an upcoming visit to Iran by the Chinese deputy prime minister will prove this approach.

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