Iran rejects Arab League’s statement on trio Gulf islands

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei dismissed the Arab League’s summit statement regarding the Iranian islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, asserting that the islands are an inseparable part of Iran's territory.

Baghaei firmly rejected the claims made in the final statement of the Arab League Summit in Baghdad concerning the three Iranian islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media.

He emphasised that the trio islands are an inseparable part of Iranian territory and described any such claims as contrary to the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, particularly the principles of respect for territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and good neighbourliness policy.

Baghaei added that raising such issues in the Arab League’s final statement is unacceptable.

He also advised the Arab League to acknowledge unchangeable historical and geographical realities when forming its positions and to work toward fostering mutual understanding and stronger relations among regional countries.

For the record, the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, located in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, have long been the subject of a territorial dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These islands are currently under Iranian control, but the UAE claims sovereignty over them, a position that is supported by various Arab states and regularly reaffirmed in Arab League communiqués.

By Khagan Isayev