Despite boasting in the past that it controls four Arab capitals, Iran objected on Thursday to accusations of meddling in the internal affairs of Arab nations.

Responding to the final declaration from this week’s Arab League summit, Bahram Qassemi, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said, “We reject any intervention in the internal affairs of Arab countries,” Agence France-Presse reported. “[Iran] does not need to intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries and always abides by the principles of good neighbourliness and respect for the sovereignty of governments.”

Iran’s denial of interference contradicts with its increasing involvement in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. In Lebanon, the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah blocked the selection of a president for two years until its preferred candidate was chosen.

Ambassadors of 11 Arab nations sent a letter in November to then United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, charging that since the 2015 nuclear deal, “we have seen nothing but increased Iranian aggression in the region and the continuation of support for terrorist groups.”

Qassemi also insisted that Iran would not end its occupation of three UAE-owned islands located in the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Thursday. He rejected the Arab League’s affirmation of the UAE’s sovereignty over the territories: “These islands are inseparable parts of Iran and will also remain to be so and repeating the lies will not change the historical facts.”

The UN General Assembly supported the UAE’s claim to the islands in 2012 and charged Iran with illegal occupation.

[Photo: Fars news ]