TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry has denounced the Group of Seven’s position on Tehran’s missile program and regional policies as “untrue” and “unrealistic”.

At the end of a two-day meeting on Saturday, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States), issued a final communique claiming that Iran’s missile program is a source of concern.

“We intend to continue our work to counter Iran’s regional proliferation of ballistic missiles and its unlawful arms transfers,” the communique said.

In a statement on Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi underlined Iran’s “undeniable role” in consolidating stability and security and fighting terrorism in the Middle East, saying that the country’s missile program is of peaceful and defensive nature.

Qassemi said the Islamic Republic believes the content of this statement, which is based on groundless accusations and misapprehension of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, its regional role and missile program, is unconstructive and completely unilateral.

Iran maintains that these accusations clearly violate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the commitments of the three European countries, he added.

The European trio, France, Germany, and the UK recently sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, calling on him to present his full report on Iran’s recent missile activities, including attempts to launch a satellite and displaying its ballistic missiles.

Lambasting the European trio for the letter, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on April 3 accused Britain, France, and Germany of trying to appease U.S. President Donald Trump.

Zarif tweeted that a year after the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA, “Europe can’t muster the will to defy US’ #EconomicTERRORISM.”

In his Sunday statement, Qassemi also said, “It is a source of regret that the members of this group are influenced by the illegal and bullying behavior of the United States, and are repeating false claims against Iran, using a rhetoric that they themselves admit does not belong to them.”

“They only want to satisfy Washington and meet the U.S. demands which is just one of the members of the Group of Seven.”

“Having complied with its international obligations, the Islamic Republic of Iran has shown its good faith in engaging, negotiating and maintaining contact with the international community,” he said.

Tehran believes that setting forth unrealistic issues and making unsuccessful attempts to portray Iran as a threat will not affect the determination of the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic’s approach to pursue its national interests in the region and the world, he added.

Qassemi also condemned the violations of the fundamental principles of the Iran nuclear deal by the three European countries, calling on them to provide a clear explanation. He emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran will pursue this issue using the mechanisms existing in the JCPOA.

SP/PA