Iran condemns GCC-US joint statement as ‘meddlesome, provocative’
‘US military presence in regional countries burden on their people’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned a joint statement by the United States and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as “meddlesome, irresponsible, and provocative,” warning regional states against continuing their hostile alignment with Washington.
In a statement released on Friday, Tehran reacted sharply to the joint communique issued on June 25, dismissing Washington’s claims of an “enduring US commitment” to the security of Persian Gulf states as nothing more than “rhetoric and an inversion of reality.”
The ministry emphasized that the US military footprint in the region remains a burden on local populations and a primary driver of insecurity.
The ministry pointed to the recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran from February 28 to April 8, during which the US used military bases hosted by Persian Gulf Arab countries to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic.
The war, which began with US-Israeli airstrikes assassinating senior Iranian officials, saw Persian Gulf littoral states permit the aggressors to use their soil and airspace. Iran subsequently retaliated with 100 waves of missile and drone strikes against American and Israeli targets, and has since demanded compensation from five Arab nations for enabling the illegal attacks.
In its latest statement, the foreign ministry asserted that Washington’s use of Arab countries’ soil to attack Iran has made it clear that the US has no regard for the security of regional states or their relationships with one another.
The statement urged the Arab council members “to prevent any use of their territory and facilities by third parties to plan, organize, support, and execute illegal actions, including military aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The inclusion of the cliché phrase “threats originating from Iran” is merely a tool of a long-standing “Iranophobia” campaign designed by the US and Israel, said the statement, denouncing this language as a clear sign of the US ruling class’s ongoing attempts to “impose its illusions and greed on regional countries.”
It noted that the US has been pursuing a “divide and rule” policy that has trapped Persian Gulf states in a dangerous and endless arms race, turning the region into a massive weapons depot.
Israel only proxy in region
Addressing the classification of Palestinian and Lebanese resistance groups, the ministry expressed deep regret over the GCC’s alignment with Washington and Tel Aviv in labeling these groups as “Iranian proxies.”
It countered that “the only proxy entity in the region is the Zionist regime,” asserting that the struggle against occupation and apartheid is fully legitimate under international law.
The statement also addressed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, placing direct responsibility for recent maritime insecurity on the US, Israel, and those regional states that aided their military campaign.
Diplomats from the Persian Gulf’s Arab states said on Thursday that dealing with what they called Iran’s proxies and missiles was key to lasting peace, and that any trade and investment with Tehran would be reversible and contingent on it respecting its deal with the US.
“The ministers further emphasized that lasting regional peace and security requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran’s threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support of proxies in the region,” they said in a joint statement following a meeting co-chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Any trade and investment with Iran is conditional and reversible, contingent on Iran’s compliance with the MoU and the final agreement, cessation of its destabilizing behavior, and creation of the conditions necessary for economic engagement,” they added.