Alwaght- Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has condemned blockade imposed by a Saudi-led regimes against Qatar, saying using such pressure tactics against neighboring states is a “wrong” policy.
President Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in Tehran on Wednesday.
He further called on all sides to make efforts to end the tensions in the Persian Gulf region and said using “threats, pressure and blockades against neighboring countries like Qatar is a wrong method.”
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar later last month, including closing Al-Jazeera TV station, stopping financing and supporting terrorism, and downgrading its ties with Iran, as major preconditions for ending their boycott. Qatar has rejected accusations of funding terrorism while insisting it will not succumb to conditions infringing on its sovereignty.
The Saudi-led regimes issued the demands after severing ties with Qatar and imposing a land, sea and air blockade on the Persian Gulf stat.
The four countries vowed to take further political, economic and legal steps to tighten the screws on Doha after the latter refused to accept demands.
Iran has been providing Qatar with food supplies amid the economic siege, which has raised human rights concerns.
Elsewhere in his remarks, President Rouhani blamed the crises plaguing Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and Qatar on the “wrong decisions” made by certain governments, warning that the continuation of such a trend would never benefit regional states, and would eventually backfire.
He also described dialogue as the only solution to the conflicts in Yemen and Bahrain and hailed positive mediation efforts by Iran, Oman and Kuwait to settle regional rifts.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes any efforts that would lead to an end in rifts and clashes in the region,” Rouhani said.
