Iran dismisses UAE remarks on Persian Gulf islands

Iran has slammed the UAE’s new statements about the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf as interference in Tehran’s internal affairs.

In response to Saturday's remarks by UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan during his address at the 69th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly about the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa islands, Iranian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Gholam-Hossein Dehqani reaffirmed Iran’s sovereign right to the three islands.

He described the islands as the inseparable parts of the Iranian territory, noting, “The remarks by the UAE foreign minister about the three islands amount to interference in Iran’s internal affairs.”

At his UN speech, the UAE foreign minister objected to hoisting of the Iranian flags in the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa islands and called for the settlement of the two country’s differences at the International Court of Justice.

Dehqani pointed to Iran’s good neighbor policy vis-à-vis all the regional countries, particularly the UAE, and called on the officials of the Persian Gulf sheikhdom to settle their differences with Iran through bilateral talks.

The three islands have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. However, the United Arab Emirates has repeatedly laid claim to the islands.

The islands temporarily fell under British control in the 1800s, but were returned to Iran on November 30, 1971 through a legal procedure that preceded the establishment of the UAE as an independent state.