TEHRAN – Iran's Foreign Ministry on Friday strongly condemned the latest joint statement issued following the ministerial meeting between the United States and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC), describing the declaration as "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative" and accusing Washington of attempting to impose its security agenda on the region.

The ministry's response came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the six PGCC member states commented on Iran's defensive missile and drone programs, its support for what they described as regional "proxy" groups, and recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz.
The joint statement also rejected any Iranian attempt to impose fees or exercise control over navigation in the strategic waterway, while reiterating support for "free, unconditional and unrestricted" maritime transit. 
 
It further maintained that any future economic engagement with Iran would remain conditional on Tehran's compliance with the recently signed memorandum of understanding and the cessation of what Washington and its allies termed "destabilizing behavior." The remarks failed to address Washington's inability to uphold some of the MoU's articles, particularly regarding Lebanon, since the beginning.

Rejecting the declaration in its entirety, Tehran argued that the document reflected continued US interference in regional affairs rather than a genuine commitment to regional stability. The Foreign Ministry said Washington's claim of safeguarding Persian Gulf security contradicted decades of US military deployments, which it said have fueled instability, militarization and political divisions across West Asia.

The ministry also pointed to the use of American military facilities in several regional countries during the US-Israeli attacks against Iran between February 28 and April 8, arguing that those operations demonstrated Washington's disregard for both regional security and the sovereignty of its partners. Tehran called on the countries whose territory and bases were used during the conflict to reassess their security policies and reiterated that neighboring states are obligated under international law and the principle of good neighborliness to prevent their territory from being used for military aggression against other regional countries.

Addressing the nuclear issue, Iran rejected renewed accusations concerning its peaceful nuclear program, describing them as "fabricated allegations" promoted by the United States and Israel. Instead, Tehran urged PGCC member states to support its longstanding proposal for establishing a nuclear-weapon-free West Asia, arguing that regional security cannot be achieved while Israel maintains an undeclared nuclear arsenal.

The ministry further dismissed references in the US-PGCC statement to Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, drones and support for regional resistance movements. It argued that portraying Iran as the principal source of instability serves as a political justification for preserving the American military presence and expanding arms sales across the Persian Gulf. Tehran also rejected the characterization of Palestinian and Lebanese resistance groups as Iranian proxies, maintaining that their struggle against occupation is legitimate under international law.

A significant portion of Iran's response focused on the Strait of Hormuz, where maritime security has again become a central point of dispute. The Foreign Ministry maintained that the United States, Israel and those regional states that supported recent military operations against Iran bear direct responsibility for instability in the strategic waterway. It reiterated that the Strait lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman and argued that the navigation arrangements contained in Paragraph 5 of the memorandum ending the recent conflict (Islamabad MoU) provide the operational framework for managing shipping in the area.

Meanwhile, international attention has focused on maritime security after an attack on a commercial vessel near Oman prompted renewed debate over navigation arrangements and the implementation of the recently concluded US-Iran memorandum. Iran has maintained that, as a littoral state, it possesses legitimate rights regarding the management of maritime traffic in coordination with Oman and has warned against foreign attempts to dictate security arrangements in the waterway.

Concluding its statement, Tehran urged PGCC member states to reconsider "their alignment with Washington's regional policies," insisting that sustainable peace and collective security can only emerge through cooperation among regional countries without foreign military intervention. The ministry reaffirmed that the Islamic Republic would not compromise on its sovereignty, territorial integrity or national defense capabilities and would continue to safeguard its strategic interests in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
 
Despite the diplomatic dispute, shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz has continued under Iran's recently announced navigation arrangements. Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that Tehran has not sought to halt commercial shipping but rather to regulate maritime traffic in coordination with Oman under the framework of the memorandum ending the recent conflict. According to maritime tracking data, commercial vessels have continued to transit the waterway, although at a slower pace than before the latest incident.

Shipping data over the past two days indicate that dozens of merchant vessels have continued to navigate the Strait, carrying millions of barrels of crude oil and petroleum products to international markets. Reuters reported that a tanker carrying approximately 2 million barrels of crude departed the Strait on Thursday, while Saudi Arabia resumed crude loadings at its Ras Tanura export terminal after nearly four months. Maritime intelligence also showed that 13 tankers transited the Strait on Friday, compared with 24 on Thursday, reflecting heightened caution following the attack on a commercial vessel rather than a closure of the waterway. Earlier this week, the US Central Command said 55 merchant vessels carrying more than 17 million barrels of crude oil had successfully transited the Strait in a single day, underscoring that energy exports from the Gulf have continued despite elevated regional tensions.