April 18, The Iran Project – An Iranian lawmaker says given the history of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) measures against Iran, no peaceful relations can be made between the two sides without Persian Gulf Arab countries’ misuse.

Speaking about PGCC’s willingness to strengthen ties with the Islamic Republic, Iranian parliamentarian Mohammad-Javad Jamali Nobandegani said to a reporter on Tuesday that Iran has always pursued a policy of good-neighbourliness and friendship with other countries.

Jamali Nobandegani noted that among the Persian Gulf Arab countries, Iran has better relations with Oman and Kuwait, but Saudi Arabia, as a main actor of the council, has always had tough stance against our country.

Regarding Iran as the main reason of their regional failures, Saudi officials constantly make allegations against the Islamic Republic and now are seeking to sign multilateral treaties with Israel to counter the country, he added.

The Iranian lawmaker went on to say that considering the current policy of Saudi Arabia and several PGCC’s countries, some of which also support Kurdish independence, Iran’s making relations with them is not beneficial in short term.

Relations between Tehran and some of the GCC countries have suffered over the past two years amid reciprocal accusations of involvement in regional conflicts, most notably in Syria and Yemen.

Tehran has denounced Saudi and Qatari support for Takfiri militants, waging wars in Syria and Iraq as well as Riyadh’s attacks on Yemen for more than two years now.

The Saudi kingdom, on the other hand, has been critical of Iran’s support for Syria which is fighting foreign-backed militants and accused Tehran of supporting Houthi fighters in Yemen, which the Islamic Republic denies.

Bahrain, which also accuses Iran of meddling in its affairs, followed suit and several other Riyadh allies downgraded their ties with the Islamic Republic.

Tehran has rejected Manama’s claims, and advised it to improve its human rights situation on the tiny island where protests against the regime have been going on for years.

Despite tensions, the Islamic Republic has welcomed the prospect of détente, with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif saying on February 7 that Iran was ready for cooperation with all countries, especially its neighbors.