Islamic Iran dismisses AL, EU joint statement on Persian Gulf islands

Iran has called a recent joint statement by the Arab League and the European Union on three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf biased and inaccurate.

“The islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb indisputably belong to the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Tuesday, IRNA reported.

Mehmanparast stated that biased and uninformed comments do not alter the incontrovertible fact about the Iranian islands, adding, “Such false claims and fueling rumors about the threat of [closing] the Strait of Hormuz… run contrary to the interests of regional nations and the global economy.”

He went on to say that “sowing discord among regional countries, the meddling of foreign powers, militarism, and [the possibility] of an arms race starting are… the major threats to regional security and stability.”

The Arab League and the European Union made the remarks in the final communiqué of their second foreign ministerial meeting, which was held in Cairo on November 13.

The islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa 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.