INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has rejected as baseless allegations leveled against the Islamic Republic by two
Arab leaders in the Bahraini capital Manama.Kanaani didn’t specify the Arab officials but it seems that he meant Egyptian President Adel
Fattah El Sisi and Bahraini King Hamad bin Issa.Kanaani described the claims as spiteful and unconstructive that pursue special goals and
purposes, according to the Iranian foreign ministry. The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman invited the two countries to correctly
understand regional equations and pay attention to the stabilizing role and place of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the West Asian
region.Kanaani described as futile the insistence of these countries on continuing down the wrong path of Iranophobia, which is illogical
and only serves the interests of the Zionist regime in the region.The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman also said Iran has an inalienable
and legal right to consolidate and preserve its nuclear achievements and that Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities are in line with a
strategic policy and its defensive doctrine that pose no threat to neighbors.In the end, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman underlined
Tehran’s determination and goodwill to expand and preserve ties with neighbors as well as Islamic and Arab countries.Kanaani also
described the sitting Iranian administration’s increased efforts to this end as further strong and clear proof of Tehran’s goodwill.The
Egyptian president has recently concluded a visit to Bahrain as part of his Persian Gulf tour which also included Oman.After their bilateral
talks, the leaders of Egypt and Bahrain issued a joint statement that included a series of accusations against Iran
They accused Iran of interfering in the internal affairs of Arab countries and seeking nuclear weapons. In the statement, they highlighted
“supporting international efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, ensuring the peacefulness of Iran’s nuclear program,
strengthening the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency, maintaining the non-proliferation regime, and the importance of supporting
efforts to establish a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.”Iran has long said it does
not seek nuclear weapons and its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. The Arab accusations came at a time when Iran and the U.S
were indirectly negotiating a return to the 2015 nuclear deal in Doha, Qatar’s capital.
