Iran Raps UAE’s Repeated Territorial Claims

(FNA)- The Iranian foreign ministry blasted the UAE for repeating its baseless territorial claims through the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC), describing the three islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf as inseparable parts of Iran.

"Repetition of baseless claims doesn’t affect the historical realities and it is rejected," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said on Saturday.

She blasted the PGCC's statement issued in support of the UAE's claims at the end of its 135th ministerial meeting in Riyadh, and said, "Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb islands are indispensable parts of the Iranian territory."

Noting that Iran's foreign policy is based on non-interference in other countries' affairs and mutual respect, Afkham said Tehran has set no limit for the expansion of friendly relations with other countries and welcomes constructive interaction and all-out cooperation with them.

International documents clearly show that the three islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa which were historically owned by Iran, temporarily fell to British control in 1903. The islands were returned to Iran based on an agreement in 1971 before the UAE was born.

Iran has repeatedly declared that its ownership of the three islands is unquestionable.

Under international law, no state can defy any agreement, which came into being before its establishment.

Yet, the UAE continues to make territorial claims against the Islamic Republic despite historical evidence and international regulations.