MANAMA, Sept 11: Persian Gulf states on Monday expressed concern over Iran’s nuclear program, saying their proximity to the country’s nuclear facilities could put them at risk of accidental contamination or of being dragged into a conflict with the West.

“Our fears over the Iranian (nuclear) dossier are real and justified, as we are direct neighbours and share the same environmental and geographic space with Iran,” Abdul-Rahman al-Attiyah, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), told reporters in Bahrain.

“Most Gulf capitals are closer to Iranian nuclear facilities than the Iranian capital, Tehran.”

Speaking on the sidelines of a nuclear conference, Al-Attiyah called for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, and also seemed to defend Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s Arab neighbours have mostly stayed on the sidelines of Tehran’s confrontation with the West, though officials have questioned whether Tehran’s uranium enrichment program could pollute their common water resources or lead to a fully-fledged conflict with the West.

Gulf countries fear that a possible leak at Bushehr plant could contaminate waters.—AP