FNA- Iranian Intelligence Minister Seyed Mahmoud Alavi downplayed the hostile remarks made against Iran by British Prime Minister Theresa May during a meeting of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC), stressing that Tehran will continue its path unchanged.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has not tied its security, economy and any other fields of its life with the westerners" to give them the opportunity to make decisions for us, Alavi told reporters in Tehran on Sunday on the sidelines of the International�Conference�on Regional�Security Order in West Asia.

He described May's remarks as propaganda, and said, "The Islamic Republic devises its plans based on national interests, security and expediency without any attention to these comments and interferences and will continue its own way."

Addressing a PGCC meeting in Bahrain on Wednesday, May claimed that "we must... work together to push back against Iran's aggressive regional actions".

The Iranian first vice-president blasted her remarks on Saturday, and said, "She was invited to the meeting to speak against Iran (but) these acts humiliated those countries (the Persian Gulf Arab littoral states)."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is a great country in the region and no one can confront it with such remarks," he said, adding that no country can undermine Iran's security and stability.

Also on Saturday, the Iranian foreign ministry summoned British Ambassador to Tehran Nicholas Hopton over May's remarks.

"The foreign ministry's deputy director general for Western Europe summoned (UK envoy) Hopton on Saturday to convey the strong protest of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the undigested statements made by that country's prime minister," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.

Qassemi noted that the foreign ministry official told Hopton that the "irresponsible, provocative and divisive statements by Ms. Theresa May in that meeting are unacceptable and doomed and it is strongly expected that such unacceptable statements are not made in future".

The Iranian diplomat also told the British ambassador that "such moves run counter to the stated expansion of ties and will further damage the two countries' relations."

"The regional policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on establishing peace, stability and security on the basis of campaign against terrorism, while some regional countries are clearly pursuing the policy of supporting terrorism and this reality has been ignored by the British officials and you premier, which is a source of regret and surprise," Qassemi quoted the Iranian diplomat as telling Hopton.