Iran Rules Out S. Arabia Claim On Violating Its Territorial Waters

Tehran, Nov 21, IRNA – Iran on Tuesday ruled out Saudi government's claim on violating territorial waters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast dismissed Saudi Arabia's claim of straying into its territory near oil and gas fields in the Persian Gulf. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Saudi government said two Iranian navy boats intercepted a vessel belong to Saudi oil giant Aramco and Iranian helicopters flew over a gas field at Hasba several times. The spokesman told reporters that the issue must be reviewed according to international law and documents about the two countries' sea borders. Mehmanparast said that there must be no activity in the prohibited border region, and that the Saudis took some discovery actions in the region, so, Iran forwarded a warning notice to Saudi Ambassador to Tehran and insisted on Saudi commitment to the mutual agreement on border security. He said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is willing to have better relations with neighboring countries, and that cooperation and understanding are the best mechanism to settle any differences between the two countries. The spokesman said that it was in fact the Saudi fault to breach conventions and treaties between the two countries. Iran and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in 1968 on territorial borders. Responding to a question about Gaza, Mehamnparast said Iran is doing its best to make arrangements for visit to Gaza of Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, a parliamentary delegation and a delegation from the Iranian Red Crescent Society as a sign of solidarity with Palestinians in the face of Israeli leaders crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, the disproportionate air strikes which took heavy tolls on the elderly, women and children. He reiterated that Iranian diplomacy is active to release 47 innocent Iranians abducted in Syria through different channels and putting pressures on the terrorist kidnappers./end