Iran condemns Arab League’s statement on Iranian islands in Persian Gulf

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has strongly condemned a recent statement by the Arab League, supporting the United Arab Emirates’ claims regarding three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf.

“The islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb are an inseparable part of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mehmanparast said on Wednesday, Fars News Agency reported.

On Tuesday, Arab League Deputy Secretary General Ahmed Ben Helli read a statement, released at the 24th Arab League summit in the Qatari capital Doha, advocating the unfounded claims laid by the UAE about the three Iranian islands.

The 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.