Doha: The Council of Arab Information Ministers on Sunday urged Arab media outlets to stick to the official statements and information rendered by the Arab nations that are affected by Iranian attacks.
According to Qatar News Agency, the council emphasized that this measure is essential to thwart the deliberate lies being circulated regarding the objectives of these attacks. It stressed the importance of monitoring developments in the region, particularly the assaults, military offensives, threats, and provocative acts initiated by Iran against several Arab nations, including the State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, State of Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Bahrain, Sultanate of Oman, Jordan, and Iraq.
The council highlighted the necessity for public and private Arab media outlets to collaborate in relaying facts to the Arab public using official statements and information published by the relevant nations. This approach aims to debunk disinformation and lies about these assaults.
The statement underscored the critical need for accuracy in news handling and reliance on reliable sources, especially amid information and analyses posted on social media platforms from unknown sources. Such misinformation could instigate sedition and harm relationships among Arab countries.
The council called for comprehensive Arab cooperation to inform global public opinion about the Iranian assaults on Arab nations and the consequent breaches of their sovereignty. This includes communicating with international media circles, providing them with facts, and correcting circulated fallacies.
According to the statement, the Iranian attacks on some Arab nations primarily targeted civilian facilities and infrastructure, as well as the assets and wealth of Arab peoples, thereby compromising the security of citizens, residents, and visitors.
The council further stressed that confusion should not arise between the positions on military operations, the ongoing Iran-Israel-US conflict, and the Iranian attacks targeting some Arab nations. It clarified that any position regarding the ongoing conflict does not justify conflating it with Iranian attacks on objectives in Arab countries that neither initiated aggression against Iran nor used their forces to attack it.
The council urged social media users to dismiss rumors intended to sow discord among Arab peoples and emphasized the need for Arab solidarity with nations under aggression, to preserve unity in the Arab position.
Additionally, the council called on Arab media, with its wide-ranging conventional and digital forms, to fulfill their role in raising awareness among both Arab and global public opinion. This includes familiarizing them with the facts about ongoing developments to confirm that these Iranian attacks amount to unprovoked assaults on peaceful countries.
The council expressed its appreciation for Arab media outlets that professionally and responsibly conveyed developments, enhancing Arab solidarity with nations that have come under these assaults.