TEHRAN,Sept.10 – The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the country’s retaliatory attacks on US bases and assets in the region are purely defensive. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry rejected the Arab League’s attempts at portraying the Islamic Republic’s acts of retaliation against the US’s regional interests as deliberate targeting of regional states.
It came out after the accusations that were levelled against Iran in the final statement of the 166th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Arab League. The ministry reiterated Iran’s “principled policy of good-neighbourliness,” stressing the importance of strengthening regional convergence and avoiding provocative positions.
“The Islamic Republic, while adhering to international law, has taken the necessary defensive measures to safeguard its national security and interests,” it said.
The Ministry further maintained that security in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman should be ensured through cooperation among the littoral states and without foreign interference. It declared Iran’s readiness for dialogue and cooperation with regional countries to strengthen mutual trust, achieve sustainable security, and promote economic progress across West Asia.
The statement additionally dismissed the Arab League’s accusations against Iran’s interference in regional states’ affairs, besides reaffirming Iran’s sovereignty over the Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb Islands in the Persian Gulf.
It described the three islands as integral parts of Iranian territory, rejecting claims to the contrary and reminding that the sovereignty was based on historical records, the continuous exercise of sovereign jurisdiction, and established principles of international law.
“Repetition of unfounded claims in political statements will not alter the geographical, historical or legal realities concerning these islands,” the ministry said. (Namibia Daily News / Tasnim)
