Arab and Islamic foreign ministers condemned Iran’s “deliberate” attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and other Arab and Islamic nations, saying that this aggression cannot be justified. Top diplomats of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan held a consultative ministerial meeting on Wednesday in Riyadh to address the Iranian attacks.
The ministers, according to a joint statement issued early Thursday, discussed the Iranian attacks on GCC countries, Jordan, Azerbaijan and Turkey.“They affirmed their condemnation and denunciation of these Iranian deliberate attacks with ballistic missiles and drones which targeted residential areas, civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, desalination plants, airports, residential buildings, and diplomatic premises,” the statement said.“The ministers further affirmed that such attacks could not be justified under any pretext or in any manner whatsoever.”The ministers also stressed the right of states to defend themselves in accordance with Article (51) of the United Nations Charter.
Iran should halt attacks
The top diplomats also called on Iran “to immediately halt its attacks and affirmed the necessity of respecting international law, international humanitarian law, and the principles of good neighborliness, as a first step toward ending the escalation, achieving security and stability in the region, and promoting diplomacy as a means to resolve the crisis.”
The future relations with Iran depend on its respect to the sovereignty of states and its non-interference in their internal affairs, as well as refraining from violating their sovereignty or their territories, and to refrain from using or developing its military capabilities to threaten countries of the region, the ministers said in the joint statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
They underscored the need for Iran to abide by implementing the UN Security Council Resolution 2817 that called for an immediate halt to all attacks and for Iran to refrain from any measures or threats aimed at closing or obstructing international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or threatening maritime security in Bab al-Mandab.
The foreign ministers also touched on the situation in Lebanon as the country was dragged into the ongoing war after the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group launched attacks against Israel in support of its backers in Tehran, after Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.“The ministers reaffirmed support for the security, stability and territorial integrity of Lebanon, activating the sovereignty of the Lebanese state over all its territories, and supporting the Lebanese government’s decision to limit weapons to the state,” the statement said. “They also condemned Israel’s aggression against Lebanon and its expansionist policy in the region.”
