Iran: Russian explanations over islands ‘insufficient’
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that explanations provided to Tehran by Russia about a recent joint statement by Moscow and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council on three Iranian islands claimed by the UAE were not sufficient.
Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic Republic will never tolerate any interference when it comes to its territorial integrity amid recent claims about the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.
“After the Russian ambassador was summoned by the [Iranian] Foreign Ministry, we received certain explanations from Russian officials, but we do not consider them to be sufficient and we do not tolerate the repetition of such an approach by Russia or any other side in issues pertaining to Iran’s territorial integrity,” Amir-Abdollahian said while addressing a joint press conference with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in Tehran on Monday.
Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran would never pull any punches with any party over the country’s national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. He made the remarks in reaction to a joint statement issued last week by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Russia that challenged Iran’s sovereignty over the three islands. In their statement, the ministers said the issue should be settled through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law and the United Nations Charter.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador to Tehran, Alexey Dedov, and voiced the Islamic Republic’s objection to the joint statement.
The three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs 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 fell under British control in 1921 but on November 30, 1971, a day after British forces left the region and just two days before the UAE was to become an official federation, Iran’s sovereignty over the islands was restored.