The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry denounced the groundless accusations leveled against Tehran in the final communiqué of a summit of Foreign Ministers of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC).

In a statement released on Friday, Nasser Kanaani dismissed the council’s final communiqué that has questioned Iran’s sovereignty over the trio islands in the Persian Gulf at the end of the 153rd summit of its foreign ministers, held in Riyadh.

Reasserting Iran’s sovereignty over three Persian Gulf islands, Kanaani said the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa are an integral part of Iran’s territory forever.

He also described the “destructive and seditious policies of the US and the Zionist regime” as well as the miscalculation made by a number of regional states in allowing the outsiders to gain a foothold in the regional security arrangements as the major factors behind instability across the region.

“It’s a pity that certain member states of the (Persian Gulf Cooperation) Council insist on pinning the blame on others and making hackneyed and boring comments instead of assuming responsibility and rectifying their ineffective and failed policies,” he added.

The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates that regional cooperation and frameworks without the presence of outsiders are the best approaches to resolving the problems, strengthening relations among the neighbors, and ensuring common stability and security across the region, the spokesman underlined.

He also welcomed the resumption of diplomatic missions of the ambassadors of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in Tehran and the continuation of negotiations with Saudi Arabia, adding, “The Islamic Republic of Iran, like before, emphasizes on the necessity for all regional countries to adopt cooperation-oriented stances in order to achieve security, stability and peace in the Persian Gulf region.”

Kanaani finally urged that a number of regional states must correct their paradoxical behavior, stating, “On the basis of its strategic view and principled policy, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always regarded interaction and cooperation with the neighbors as the best solution to the regional problems and welcomes the positive and constructive initiatives for the expansion of bilateral and regional relations.”

Source: Iranian media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)