Iran stresses ownership of Persian Gulf islands

Iran has once again stressed sovereignty over three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf.

“Iran’s ownership of the three Iranian islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa is a historical and undeniable fact,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Wednesday.

She made the remarks in reaction to a request by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that the United Nations Security Council put the issue on its agenda for 2014.s

Afkham said that the UAE renewed the ownership claim as part of a UN program under which countries, on a periodical basis, make correspondence with the UN secretary general and bring up certain issues to be recorded as UN documents.

She added that any country opposed to such issues can present their own evidence to be documented in the UN.

In response to the UAE letter, Afkham added, the Iranian mission in New York has presented a statement to the UN against the UAE claim.

The UAE has repeatedly claimed ownership of the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa.

This comes as the three islands have always been part of Iran historically, proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world.