Mehmanparast made the remarks during his regular press briefing in Tehran on Tuesday in reply to a question about the Foreign Ministry’s stance toward the recent crackdown on protests in the Arab Kingdom.
“Our advice to all regional countries is that they listen to the voice of the people instead of suppressing legitimate public demands and take the measures necessary to fulfill the legitimate demands of the people,” Mehmanparast said. He added, “A wise approach should be adopted toward incidents occurring in (certain) regional countries due to the Islamic Awakening, and suppressing the demands of the people, which is a wrong decision, will make the situation in the region more critical.” “We will use the foreign diplomacy apparatus’ full potential to prevent the region from moving toward a more critical situation,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman stated, adding that suppressing protests and making arrests in Saudi Arabia will only complicate matters further. Presence of foreign forces in Persian Gulf threatens regional security Elsewhere in his remarks, Mehmanparast was asked to comment on the fact that one person was killed and three others were injured on Monday when a U.S. Navy ship fired at an approaching fishing boat off the United Arab Emirates. He said, “The Persian Gulf is very important for all regional countries, and any action or policy that threatens the security of this region or the security of energy supplies in this region threatens the interests of regional countries, and we hope that such incidents will not occur again.” “We have repeatedly announced that the presence of foreign forces threatens regional security,” Mehmanparast added. He also stated, “The country’s full potential has been used to maintain security in the region and security and stability in the Persian Gulf.” Iran is investigating MI6 chief’s remarks In addition, Mehmanparast commented on the remarks that MI6 chief Sir John Sawers made on July 12, in which he said that covert operations by British spies had prevented the Iranians from developing what he called “nuclear weapons” as early as 2008. Mehmanparast stated, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is seriously pursuing and investigating the issue.” He added, “If it is proved that the remarks by the British official are substantiated and true, this will show Britain’s interference in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its intention to create sedition with the aim of undermining our national interests,” and the issue will seriously be pursued through legal channels.
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