The foreign ministry called on the United States and its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf to demonstrate "goodwill" by taking "confidence-building" measures and stop blaming others for regional problems, ISNA reported.
"Iran has always insisted on avoiding the use of military options and instead has called for employing diplomacy to solve the current regional challenges," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said, criticizing a joint statement issued on Thursday in the US presidential retreat of Camp David, northwest of Washington, after a meeting between US President Barack Obama and heads of delegations of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council member states.
"Measures like launching a military attack on Yemen and violating that country's territorial integrity and Washington's support for this aggression are not only against international laws, but are in contradiction to the contents of the recent Camp David statement," Afkham deplored. In one of its main clauses, the Camp David Statement read , "With regard to Yemen, both the United States and (P)GCC member states underscored the imperative of collective efforts to counter Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and emphasized the need to rapidly shift from military operations to a political process."
Aggressors Cannot Judge Others
Afkham also rejected a clause in the statement alleging that Iran is playing a "destabilizing role" in the region, saying the realities on the ground prove that such claims are totally false and baseless.
"Iran has never put forth a military solution to any regional issue," she said, adding that those who attack a neighboring country are actually undermining peace and stability in the region and "they are in no position to judge others."
The Camp David statement, with regard to Iran, added that the leaders "reviewed the status of negotiations between the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) and Iran, and emphasized that a comprehensive, verifiable deal that fully addresses the regional and international concerns about Iran's nuclear program is in the security interests of (P)GCC member states as well as the United States and the international community. The United States and (P)GCC member states oppose and will work together to counter Iran's destabilizing activities in the region and stressed the need for Iran to engage the region according to the principles of good neighborliness."
The foreign ministry spokeswoman expressed Iran's readiness to negotiate and cooperate with Persian Gulf Arab countries on resolving regional issues, calling on all the countries in the region to focus their efforts on fighting the growing threat of terrorism, especially the danger posed by "takfiri groups". A takfiri is a Muslim who accuses followers of other faiths and some Islamic sects of being unbelievers.
