Iran Rejects ‘Baseless Claims’ in Arab League Statement

In comments on Wednesday, Bahram Qassemi rejected the Arab League summit’s final statement and the claims made by the Kuwaiti and Emirati representatives that question Iran’s sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa.

Such stances are rooted in political motives and lack of understanding of the historical realities, he deplored.

Dismissing as baseless the anti-Iran allegations raised by Kuwait in the summit, Qassemi said, "Given the tense atmosphere of the Arab Leagues meeting yesterday (Tuesday), it seems that repetition of such threadbare charges is aimed at distracting the public opinion from the realities on the ground.”

"The statement issued (in this meeting) is a clear indication of interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Stressing (our right to take) legal and legitimate measures in our territory, we strongly condemn such claims on the Iranian islands and vehemently reject them,” Qassemi added, according to the Foreign Ministry’s official website.

He then warned that such inappropriate stances by the Arab states would only "widen the gaps between regional countries and delay purposeful regional cooperation.”

"The principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran toward the Persian Gulf littoral states is to observe good neighborliness, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and to take into account the historical and legal realities and the current sensitive conditions of the region,” he added.