Southern islands inseparable parts of Iran’s territoryy: Spokesman

Nasser Kanaani made the remarks on Tuesday to slam the repeated and fruitless claims made by the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) members in the final statement issued in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Iran rejects the part in the statement that referred to the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf and described it as an unconstructive claim, the spokesman underlined.

Condemning any remarks about Iran’s construction in its territories, the visit of the country’s officials to the southern islands, and the holding of military drills on its borders, the spokesman stressed that the Islamic Republic sees those claims as interference in its domestic affairs.

The spokesman also addressed Kuwait’s claim about the Arash shared gas field with Iran, stressing that the unilateral claim is not legally important and does not prove Kuwait’s ownership of the field.

The only way to find a reasonable solution to the issue of the Arash field is to return to the negotiating table in order to reach a permanent agreement based on mutual interests, the spokesman said.

Rejecting the part of the statement about Iran’s nuclear program, Kanaani said the Islamic Republic has always been faithful to its international commitments and the country does not care about ungrounded remarks about its peaceful nuclear activities.

On the issue of regional security, the spokesman stressed the importance of regional cooperation in bringing about security in the region.

He went on to stress that the Islamic Republic refutes the military presence of foreigners in the region, adding that the country will continue to powerfully perform its effective and constructive role in ensuring security in regional waters.

Elsewhere, he repeated the Iranian government’s commitment to good neighborliness.

The Islamic Republic sees cooperation and interaction with its neighbors as the solution to regional problems, Kanaani stressed adding that Tehran welcomes constructive initiatives to develop multilateral and bilateral ties.

He also noted that the stance taken by the [P]GCC “does not help regional cooperation and interaction.”

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