IRAN
- Iran has denounced the recent remarks by Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal accusing Tehran of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries.
"Infringing on all international rules and conventions, Saudi military forces have interfered in the internal affairs of their neighboring state and engage in repressing defenseless civilians," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Wednesday.
The Iranian official was referring to the deployment of Saudi troops to crisis-hit Bahrain last year.
On March 14, 2011, Saudi Arabia deployed troops to its neighboring state at Manama's request to help crush the nationwide anti-government protests there.
Anti-regime demonstrations continue in Bahrain despite the regime's violent crackdown. The Bahraini demonstrators hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the killing of protesters during the uprising that began in February 2011.
Mehmanparast also denounced further remarks by the Saudi foreign minister regarding Iran's negotiations with the P5+1.
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- "The nuclear policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the corresponding negotiations are pursued totally transparently, explicitly and seriously based on defending Iran's nuclear rights," the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Addressing a joint ministerial meeting between the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) and the European Union (EU) in Luxemburg on Monday, Faisal had said that the talks with Iran over its nuclear energy program are a 'waste of time' and should be pushed towards a time-limited process.
Iran and the P5+1 - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany - wrapped up two days of talks in Moscow on June 19.
The two sides agreed to continue the talks on a follow-on technical level in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 3.