Iran rejects Japanese-Arab statement about Persian Gulf islands
Iran’s Foreign Ministry in a statement denounced a joint statement from the ministerial meeting of Arab-Japan Political Dialogue about three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, saying that the islands are an eternal part of Iranian territory.
The Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that their statement about the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb lacks any political or legal value, and is in violation of the principle of non-interference in domestic affairs of countries and respect for their territorial integrity.
The third session of the ministerial meeting of the Arab-Japan Political Dialogue was held in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on September 5, 2023.
Regarding the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, the ministers attending the event called for efforts “to reach a peaceful solution through bilateral negotiations as per the provisions of international law and the UN Charter.”
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.
The statement by the Arab countries also claimed that the Arash gas field in the Persian Gulf is exclusively owned by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and they alone have the right to its natural resources.
Nasser Kanaani has earlier said Iran will not tolerate a violation of the nation’s rights over the gas field.
He has stressed that the country has always adhered to “the path of dialogue and consensus” about the operation of the oil and gas fields shared with its neighbors.