GCC foreign ministers renew call to take part in Iran nuke talks

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Wednesday renewed a call for their participation in international talks on Iran's nuclear program.

Following the 148th session of the GCC's Ministerial Council at the headquarters in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the foreign ministers of GCC member countries released a statement stressing the need for Tehran to engage "seriously" in ongoing talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Denouncing Iran's "continued failure to fulfill its obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency," the council asserted that GCC states should also participate in the negotiations, according to the statement.

The GCC meeting came after the sixth round on Saturday of negotiations that resumed on the nuclear agreement between Iran and the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany, before Washington withdrew from it in 2018. The agreement imposes restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, in return for international economic sanctions relief.

Chaired by Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani, the council also urged Iran to "avoid escalation and not expose the region's security and stability to more tension."

It also rejected the "continuing hostilities against Saudi Arabia" of Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, urging the international community to act to stop the group from targeting the kingdom with booby-trapped drones and missiles.

The council also condemned "Iran's continued support for terrorist groups and sectarian militias in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and others, which threaten Arab national security."

Participating top diplomats of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE also discussed the Palestinian cause during the meeting, condemning "the continued Israeli violations and attacks against the Palestinian people," and underlining "the necessity of reviving the peace process" suspended since 2014.

They also tackled the issue of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam and stressed the priority of water security for Egypt and Sudan.

In addition to these, they discussed the situation in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Morocco and Libya, stressing its rejection of interference in Arab internal affairs, said the statement.