Tehran advises neighbors to avoid comments on Iran’s islands
Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi advised neighboring countries not to damage their relations with a “great country” such as Iran by making unfounded claims regarding Iran’s three islands in the Persian Gulf.
Vahidi pointed to a recent statement issued by Russia and several Arab countries on Iran’s three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb, saying that the baseless statements issued about the Iranian islands are claims that had been earlier made by others.
He made the remarks on a visit to the Abu Musa Island on Thursday.
Iran summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires to Tehran on December 23 in protest at a recent statement issued by Russia and several Arab countries on Iran’s three islands.
The final statement of the 6th Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum, which was held in Morocco on December 20, reiterated the United Arab Emirates’ baseless claims about the three Iranian islands.
The three Persian Gulf islands have historically been part of Iran, the proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. The UAE, however, has repeatedly laid claim to the islands.