GCC foreign ministers: Iran missile program should be addressed in nuclear talks

  • 6/16/2021
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RIYADH: Talks in Vienna on the Iran nuclear deal should take into consideration Tehran’s ballistic missile program, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers said on Wednesday. GCC countries should also be included in the dialogue, a meeting of the ministerial council in Riyadh heard. The foreign ministers condemned Tehran for smuggling weapons to its proxy militia in Yemen - the Houthis. And they denounced attacks carried out by the militia in Yemen’s Marib province. They also condemned the Houthis for obstructing the arrival of an international team to examine the decaying FSO Safer tanker that is moored off Yemen’s coast. The tanker was abandoned more than five years ago and its structure, equipment and operating systems are deteriorating, leaving the tanker at risk of leaking, exploding or catching fire. With 48 million gallons of oil on board, the UN warns a potential leak would be four times bigger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off the coast of Alaska, considered the world’s worst oil spill in terms of environmental damage. The foreign ministers also said they reject foreign interference in the affairs of Arab countries and any actions that affect the water rights of Egypt and Sudan. They also condemned the increase of drug smuggling from Lebanon after the Kingdom banned the import and transit of fruit and vegetables from the crisis-stricken country after authorities foiled two large drug smuggling attempts in April.

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