UK provokes UAE in islands row

A senior Iranian lawmaker says three Iranian islands that are claimed by the UAE belonged to Iran even before the Arab nation declared statehood.

“The three islands belonged to Iran before a country named the UAE was born in the geo-politics arena,” head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Sunday.

Boroujerdi said that the recent claims by the UAE on the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb have been triggered by Britain which has a long history of creating tension between different countries.

“The UAE knows that the three islands are an inseparable part of Iran and if there are any misunderstandings, Iran has repeatedly voiced readiness for talks on the matter,” Fars News Agency quoted Boroujerdi as saying on Sunday.

“We advise the UAE, especially its foreign minister, to avoid being influenced by Western policies in the Persian Gulf and to avoid creating a situation that will pave the way for the interference of foreign forces in our region which is already considered a sensitive region,” the Iranian lawmaker said.