In joint press conference here, the ambassadors and heads of mission of the eight member countries of the Latin American group criticized Washington and Tel Aviv for encouraging belligerence that will have destabilizing consequences for the whole Middle East.

The diplomats deplored the attitude of the Western powers, led by the United States, seeking to provoke a war with Iran using the pretext of doubts about the Persian nuclear program has only civilian purposes.

In this regard they urged the West to remain committed to a civilized form of dialogue and lashed the double standard policies that apply to atomic issues worldwide, particularly in this region, specially the support to Israel's nuclear activities.

U.S. warships and Israelis, including several aircraft carriers and ships with nuclear weapons were deployed in the Persian Gulf a few weeks ago in order to intimidate Iran and inspect merchant vessels of this country.

The ambassadors reaffirmed, on the other hand, the support from their governments to the sovereign right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to produce and use atomic energy for peaceful purposes, a right of all nations contained in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

They also supported the actions of Brazil along Turkey to find a solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute by signing the Declaration of Tehran on May 17 as an alternative to the West rejection to the enrichment of uranium.

ALBA granted Iran the status of observer, pursuant to a request made by Tehran in 2007.