DUBAI, October 17. /TASS/. The joint final declaration of the summit of the EU member states and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) contains many statements on Iran, but the era of European intervention in the Middle East affairs on the "divide and rule" approach is over, the republic's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

"To us, it is becoming clear that path of respectful cooperation we offered in several meetings, including in New York, is being met with European desire for confrontation - including via absurd accusation that Iran is engaged in 'occupation.' The three islands have always belonged to Iran, and will forever remain as such. Era of European malign 'divide & rule' interference in our region is long over," the minister said on his X page.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei also expressed regret over the Arab countries joining "misleading claims against the neighboring country." "The countries of the region should have seized the opportunity to hold a joint event with EU heads of state <...> to hold them accountable, stop Israel's genocide and aggression, and call on supporters of the occupation regime to refrain from cooperating with it," the Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel quoted Baghaei as saying.

In turn, Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, condemned the joint declaration of the EU and GCC countries regarding the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa islands. "I must state and emphasize that Iran, as the rightful owner of these three islands, will closely monitor any actions that threaten national interests and will definitely provide the necessary response in case of any threat to the country’s territory," the ISNA news agency quoted Velayati as saying.

On October 16, the EU and GCC countries adopted a joint summit declaration calling on Iran to pursue regional de-escalation. The document also urged a peaceful resolution to the dispute over the three islands - Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. These islands, located in a strategically important area of the Gulf, have long been contested by Tehran and Abu Dhabi.