Amir-Abdollahian to Lavrov:
Iran does not compromise with any party on its territorial integrity
The Iranian foreign minister, in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, emphasized that respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries is a fundamental principle in international relations, adding that Tehran does not compromise with any party on these issues.
In a reaction to a joint statement from several Arab countries and Russia about Iran’s three Persian Gulf islands, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb are an integral part of Iran, IRNA reported.
Alluding to the positive and growing relations between Moscow and Tehran, he stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran rejects any claims in this regard from any party.
Sergei Lavrov regarded Moscow-Tehran relations as strategic and emphasized that Russia has always respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He asserted that this official policy of Moscow should never be called into question.
He said that Russia explicitly highlighted respecting Iran’s governance and territorial integrity in the final statement of the Morocco summit.
The remarks came two days after the sixth Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Morocco concluded with a statement reiterating the UAE’s claim over the islands. The Russian delegation to the forum was led by the Russian foreign minister.
“The statement supported peaceful solutions and initiatives aiming to resolve the conflict through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, according to international law and the UN Charter,” the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
Moscow had previously voiced its support for UAE’s claim back in July during a joint summit between the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Russian Federation.
Statement rejected as baseless
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also dismissed the final statement of the forum on the three Iranian islands as “baseless and unacceptable,” Press TV reported.
“The Iranian islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb, located in the blue waters of the Persian Gulf, eternally belong to Iran and are an inseparable part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s land,” Nasser Kanaani stressed.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not consider its territorial integrity and sovereignty over the three islands negotiable and rejects any claim by any side on the issue and will not back down from its sovereignty and territorial rights in any way,” he added.
The spokesperson underlined the policy of promoting ties with the neighboring countries and the need to respect the principle of good neighborliness.
He said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran asks all its northern and southern neighbors to take the actual and potential capacities at the bilateral and regional levels into account and take steps to boost ties and refrain from making and repeating certain rejected claims.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to preserve its territorial integrity.”
Interference in Iran’s affairs
In a separate message, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said on Thursday that the claims on the three Iranian islands was regarded as interference in Iran’s internal affairs.
“The meeting was held in the presence of some Arabs, who are ignoring the fate of the Palestinians, and Russian experts in Morocco and issued a statement that has various flaws, the most important of which is interference in Iran’s affairs,” he said, condemning the statement.
The UAE, which has taken a “regrettable” stance on the Palestinians and backed Israel’s killing of the oppressed people of Gaza, keeps bringing up this “baseless claim” of the three islands instead of implementing practical measures to stop the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, he said.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as the rightful owner of the three islands, will closely watch the actions of those who wish to harm the national and regional interests and will respond accordingly,” he said.
Velayati added that the islands’ ownership “will not be affected by such poor meetings.”
Calling on Russia to pay further careful attention to its stances regarding the Islamic Republic, the senior adviser said, “The strategic and friendly relations between Iran and Russia have not been achieved easily.”
“In circumstances in which Russia is in a complex international situation, some positions of the Russian Foreign Ministry are regrettable,” he said, acknowledging that “although, some political pressures on Russia in the current complicated situation will cause it to damage its reputation in order to obtain a worthless point.”
The three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, and 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.