Iran FM summons EU envoys to Tehran

TABNAK, Oct. 08 - Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi conveyed Iran’s strong protest over allegations made against the country’s defense program and territorial integrity in a joint statement issued by the EU and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council.

News ID: 6813

Date: 08 October 2025 - 13:13

Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-e Ravanchi has summoned ambassadors of European Union countries to Tehran to protest what he described as the bloc’s interfering stance in the Persian Gulf region’s affairs and the allegations leveled against Iran.

The ambassadors were summoned on Tuesday, a day after foreign ministers and senior officials from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union (EU) held their 29th Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting in Kuwait. In their final statement, the participants reiterated the United Arab Emirates’ territorial claims over the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb, and Greater Tunb.

They also “stressed the importance of ensuring the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program” and accused Iran of regional escalation through its ballistic missile and drone programs, according to the text of the statement published on the council’s website.

During his meeting with the summoned ambassadors, Takht-e Ravanchi reaffirmed Iran’s indisputable and perpetual sovereignty over the islands of Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb, and Greater Tunb, calling them inseparable parts of the country.

He said the EU’s support for the UAE’s “unfounded” claims over the islands violated the principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, strongly condemning the bloc’s politicized and biased stance.

Addressing allegations about Iran’s missile program, Takht-e Ravanchi dismissed them as interference in Iran’s internal affairs and rejected false and exaggerated narratives.

He emphasized that Iran’s indigenous defense capabilities, including its missile program, are an inherent right to self-defense and contribute to regional security and stability.

The deputy foreign minister also referred to a recent move by Britain, France, and Germany—collectively known as the E3—to return UN Security Council sanctions against Iran under the so-called snapback mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He said the EU, as coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission, had failed—along with the E3—to uphold its commitments and had instead misused the dispute resolution mechanism outlined in the agreement, thereby obstructing diplomacy.

They should be accountable for their destructive performance instead of repeating clichéd and entirely false allegations, Takht-e Ravanchi added.