Iran Describes New Arab Quartet Committee Statement as 'Based on Delusions'

Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reacted on Wednesday, September 21, to the statement of the Arab League's Quartet Committee, describing the committee as having an 'anti-Iranian nature' and labeling the content of the statement as 'baseless' and 'stemming from delusions.' According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, Bahram Qasemi stated that the issuance of this statement is 'a diversion and a futile attempt to mislead public opinion in the region.' He added, 'In our view, the accusations and claims in this statement are more than anything else a result of delusions and a dictated anti-Iran policy to these countries and lack any concrete and real basis.' The Arab Quartet Committee of Foreign Ministers held a meeting regarding Iran on Tuesday, September 20, on the sidelines of the 150th Arab League summit, chaired by the United Arab Emirates at the League's headquarters in Cairo. The task of the Arab Quartet Committee is to examine the existing crisis between Arab countries and Iran and to find ways to counter the Islamic Republic's interference in the Arab region. On Tuesday, this committee issued a statement accusing Iran of igniting sectarian tensions in Arab countries. The meeting was chaired by Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE, and included Sameh Shoukry, Foreign Minister of Egypt, Adel al-Jubeir, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Foreign Minister of Bahrain, and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League. The committee prepared a draft resolution regarding what it called Iran's interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries, which is to be presented to the Arab League Council for approval in the 150th round of ministerial meetings. The committee's statement condemned Iran's support for Houthi militants in Yemen and the firing of ballistic missiles by the Houthis into Saudi territory, considering these actions a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216. In response to this part of the statement, Bahram Qasemi said, 'The members of this committee issued such a statement while the effects and consequences of their destructive aggression in Yemen have created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in contemporary times, leading to the destruction of basic life infrastructure in this country and causing hunger, disease, displacement, and poverty for millions of innocent people there.' The Arab Quartet Committee also condemned Iran's direct threats to international shipping in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Red Sea through its regional proxy groups. Additionally, a report was presented by Manama regarding 'Iran's interventions' through support for a group known as the Al-Ashtar Brigades. The report stated that this group is based in Iran and is trained in camps run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. In August, the U.S. State Department announced that it had placed the leader of the Bahraini 'Al-Ashtar Brigades,' who is based in Iran, on its terrorist list and imposed sanctions on him. According to this statement, Qassem Abdullah Ali Ahmad, the leader of the Al-Ashtar Brigades known as Qassem al-Mu'min, has provided financial resources, weapons, and explosives to members of this group to carry out armed actions against the Bahraini government. Bahram Qasemi did not address these sections of the committee's statement in his response. The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded by stating that 'the Islamic Republic of Iran has always sought secure and stable neighbors and a neighborhood policy based on mutual trust and respect, and has never pursued a policy of interference in the internal affairs of other countries.' Bahram Qasemi finally advised these countries to 'instead of adopting such futile methods and approaches, respond constructively to the efforts and initiatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran for establishing dialogue and cooperation within the region and among regional countries.'