Tehran rejects US-GCC statement citing 'Iran's threats' as 'interventionist, provocative'

Iran on Friday condemned a joint statement issued by the US secretary of state and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers, describing it as “interventionist, irresponsible and provocative.” In a statement, the Iranian foreign ministry criticised positions outlined in the joint communique issued after the GCC-US ministerial meeting in Bahrain on Thursday and warned against what it called continued hostile and interventionist behaviour in the region. Tehran dismissed Washington’s stated “enduring commitment” to the security of GCC member states as “mere rhetoric” and a distortion of reality, arguing that the US military presence in the region has become a source of insecurity and division. The ministry said the recent use of military bases and facilities in regional countries during US and Israeli strikes on Iran demonstrated that Washington did not value the security of its regional partners. It urged regional states whose territory and facilities were allegedly used during the conflict to reconsider their positions, saying they had obligations under international law and the principle of good neighbourliness to prevent third parties from using their territory to carry out hostile acts against Iran. Iran also rejected repeated accusations regarding its peaceful nuclear programme, calling them fabricated by the US and Israel, and urged GCC member states to cooperate with Tehran on establishing a nuclear weapons-free zone in West Asia. The statement also condemned references in the GCC-US communique to Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, saying Tehran would not show “the slightest leniency” in defending its sovereignty and military deterrence. Iran also criticised the GCC for aligning with Washington and Israel in describing Palestinian and Lebanese resistance groups as “Iranian proxies,” saying that the only “proxy” in the region is Israel. On the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran said security disruptions in the waterway were a direct result of recent US and Isra