Iran asks Arab states to keep away from nuclear row

TEHRAN: Iran has called on the Arab states not to interfere in the country's nuclear dispute with the Western world, IRNA reported on Sunday.
 
“Arab nations should be careful not to enter a debate that has already failed, thus harming their prestige,” the report quoted Iran's Parliament speaker Ali Larijani as saying.

He said relations with the Western world would not improve as long as those countries continue to blame Iran for terrorism.

"We are sorry that certain US leaders claim Iran's sin is defending the Hizbollah and Hamas (movements), but we are proud of supporting them. We definitely support Lebanese resistance and Gaza people in the region because as a revolutionary country, we should be sensitive towards such issues," he added.

The US and its allies have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear programme. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.
 
Till date, the UN Security Council has passed three sanctions against the Islamic Republic, urging it to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.
 
On Dec 16, the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany held a closed-door meeting with the representatives of some Arab countries at the UN headquarters to discuss whether they could be of help in resolving the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme.