Foreign ministers of member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, in a statement issued at end of their 128th meeting in Saudi Arabia’s city of Jeddah on Tuesday, declared support for the United Arab Emirates’ claim of sovereignty over three Iranian islands located in the Persian Gulf.
In reply, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham rejected the claim on Wednesday, and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes its full sovereignty over Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa."
She added that all steps and measures taken in these islands have been always based on "the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
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.