Iran rejects G7 statement as ‘baseless, unjust’

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran has rejected as “baseless, one-sided and unjust” a statement issued by the Group of Seven (G7) following their summit in Germany.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said the G7 statement was in line with “erroneous habits of the countries that issued it” and shows “their insistence on failed policies that have obstructed the implementation of the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions on Iran.”

The spokesman also blamed the G7 countries for “fomenting insecurity” in the Persian Gulf region.

In their joint statement on Tuesday, the G7 leaders said Iran must “never develop a nuclear weapon,” while asserting that the country has “not seized the opportunity to conclude the (nuclear) deal” despite what it called “intense diplomatic efforts.”

“The G7 commits to working together, and with other international partners, to address the threat posed to international security by Iran’s nuclear escalation,” read the statement.

G7 demands ‘substantial cooperation’

A diplomatic solution, it added, remains the “best way to restrict Iran’s nuclear program,” urging Tehran to “cooperate substantively with the IAEA” and to “fulfill its legal obligations by providing technically credible information” to the UN watchdog.

The statement further condemned what it called “Iran’s continued destabilizing activity in the region,” calling upon Tehran to “stop all ballistic missile activities and proliferation inconsistent with UNSCR 2231 and other UNSC resolutions.”

It said regional stability was” impaired” by Iran’s “threats to maritime security” and also expressed concern over what it called “continued human rights violations” in Iran.

Taking strong exception to the statement, Iran said the G7 statement “deliberately ignores the gross violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by the United States through imposition of maximum illegal sanctions” on Iran.

“They deliberately ignore the Islamic Republic of Iran’s insistence on nuclear weapons embargo, and by having the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, they make false accusations against Iran,” Kanani said.

The G7 statement came on the day Iran and the US resumed indirect talks mediated by the European Union in Doha, ending a three-month deadlock in reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.

The Iranian spokesman decried the G7 leaders for their “irresponsible and provocative positions and behavior,” saying it poses “greatest threat to the international security.”

“They are the ones who, in order to compensate for wrong policies of the past, should use significant opportunities provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran for negotiations, and bring about calmness to the result of negotiations by resorting to diplomacy, with complete lifting of sanctions,” Kanani added.

‘Iran’s missile programme legitimate’

On G7 leaders’ criticism of Iran’s ballistic missile program, the spokesman called the program “legitimate” and “non-negotiable.”

He also castigated the G7 leaders for the “selective use of human rights” and “turning a blind eye to gross violation of the rights of more than 80 million Iranians by imposing illegal sanctions and killing the defenseless people of Palestine and Yemen.”

He underlined the Iranian government’s “neighborhood first” policy, which he said was aimed at “promoting regional stability without foreign intervention or presence.”