Iran Reaffirms Sovereignty Over Three PG Islands

Tehran, Nov 16, IRNA – Iran on Friday reaffirmed sovereignty over the three Islands of the Persian Gulf and said that the United Arab Emirates is suffering from misunderstanding. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Friday that the UAE officials are misunderstanding the difference between the Iranian sovereignty right and a wrong UAE claim. The three Islands of Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa belong to Iran and will remain so. Afkham said, “The trio Iranian islands belong to the Islamic Republic of Iran and would be so forever; Iranian ownership of the islands to Iran is an undeniable reality.” Afkham said any claim, being on the basis of misunderstanding of the current realities of the Middle East and Persian Gulf, would not help regional convergence and promotion of ties among regional states. She said that the neighboring and Muslim states are a priority for Iran to develop cooperation and bolster peace and security in the region. UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in a joint news conference with his German counterpart in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday repeated the chronical misunderstanding of the United Arab Emirates on the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf./end