Iran reacts to US, PGCC interfering joint statement

TABNAK, Jun. 26 - Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned an “interfering, irresponsible and provocative” joint statement issued by the US Secretary of State and foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC), warning against continued hostile behavior in the region.

News ID: 7522

Date: 26 June 2026 - 13:25

In a statement released on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran rejected the positions contained in the joint declaration by the US and the PGCC, stressing that the Islamic Republic of Iran considers them “interventionist, irresponsible and provocative,” and warned against the continuation of such policies in the region.

The ministry dismissed Washington’s claim of a “sustained commitment to the security of PGCC member states” as “nothing more than rhetoric and distortion of reality,” arguing that the US military presence in the region has instead become “a burden on the peoples of the region and a source of insecurity and division.”

It further noted that the use of US bases and military facilities in regional countries to carry out acts of aggression against Iran during the period from February 28 to April 8, 2026, demonstrated that Washington places no value on regional security or bilateral relations.

Iran also urged the regional states whose territory and facilities were used during the recent imposed war by US-Israeli aggressors to reconsider their positions, while reiterating the “clear obligation” of PGCC members under international law and the principle of good neighborliness to prevent any third party from using their territory or facilities for unlawful actions, including military aggression against Iran.

The Foreign Ministry also expressed “disgust” at the repetition of a “big lie fabricated by the genocidal Zionist regime and the United States” regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, urging PGCC states to avoid aligning with Washington’s “threat narrative” and instead join Iran in advancing the initiative for a West Asia free of nuclear weapons, while compelling the US to stop obstructing it.

It emphasized that “lasting peace and security in the region” can only be achieved through trust-building and mutual cooperation among regional states, without destructive foreign interference, and rejected the labeling of “threats emanating from Iran” as a politically motivated construct designed to impose US narratives on regional governments.

The statement also strongly condemned the efforts to portray Iran’s defensive capabilities as a threat, while criticizing Washington’s “divide and rule” policy, which it said has driven regional states into a “dangerous and endless arms race.”

Reaffirming Iran’s position, the ministry stated that the Islamic Republic “will not tolerate even the slightest compromise” in defending its sovereignty and related capabilities.

Expressing regret over the PGCC’s alignment with the US and the Israeli regime in labeling Palestinian and Lebanese resistance as “Iranian proxies,” the ministry stressed that “the only proxy entity in the region is the Zionist regime,” adding that the struggle of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples against occupation and apartheid is “legitimate and fully in accordance with international law.”

The statement further reminded regional states of the “direct responsibility” of the US and the Israeli regime, as well as those regional countries that supported the recent US-Israeli aggression, in contributing to insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz. It emphasized that the Strait lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and that arrangements under paragraph 5 of the memorandum ending the imposed war constitute the operational basis for navigation management in the area.

Concluding the statement, the Foreign Ministry called on PGCC member states to reconsider their security approaches in light of the recent imposed war, reiterating that “collective security can only be achieved through cooperation among regional states and without foreign intervention.”