Tehran (dpa) – Iran on Thursday rejected as “baseless” accusations by Gulf Arab states that it was meddling in their internal affairs to cause trouble. The Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, said after a summit in Riyadh on Tuesday that it was “deeply concerned” by Iran's attempts to sow “divisions and sectarian strife.” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told state television IRIB: “The Persian Gulf Arab leaders just referred to the same baseless charges as the United States usually levels against Iran”. The spokesman added that majority Shiite Iran wanted good relations with its Arab neighbours, which are ruled by Sunni monarchs and mainly have sizable Shiite populations. Gulf states are concerned about Iran's nuclear programme, which the West says has a military dimension. Iran denies the charge. Relations between Iran and Arab heavyweight Saudi Arabia deteriorated further after the United States in October accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Riyadh's ambassador to Washington. Iran said the claims were fabricated. dpa fmb jln hl BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/vqRQb Tags: Diplomacy, Gulf, Gulf States, Meddling Section: Iran, Latest News
