DUBAI — Iran on Sunday accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of “attempting” to “distort realities,” rejecting his remarks on global energy markets and Tehran’s nuclear program.
In talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Saturday, Rubio discussed the Middle East, maritime security and energy supplies.
The US official’s visit to India comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and concerns over shipping lanes and energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes.
Rubio said progress had been made in the past 48 hours on an outline that could help resolve the situation around the Strait of Hormuz and added there was a possibility of “good news” in the next few hours.
He reiterated that Iran could never have a nuclear weapon and said attacks on commercial vessels were “totally illegal”, saying the US will not let Iran hold the energy market “hostage.”
Reacting to Rubio’s remarks, the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi said the allegations constituted a clear attempt to “distort the realities of the region and to deflect attention from the destabilizing policies of the United States and the Zionist regime.”
“What has held the global energy market hostage over recent years has been the unlawful and unjust sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran’s oil exports; sanctions that have been designed and enforced in violation of the principles of international law and the charter of the United Nations, with the aim of exerting economic pressure on the Iranian nation,” the embassy said in a statement.
“These two regimes (US and Israel) are the principal drivers behind the escalation of global security and energy crises and seek to advance their political and military objectives through the creation of instability and insecurity,” it added.
On Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran recalled that “as a committed member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, it has consistently declared that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and remains under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology to be the legitimate and inalienable right of its people and emphasizes that it will never relinquish this lawful and internationally recognized right,” the statement said.
Source: Saudi Gazette