The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed the hackneyed claims about three Iranian islands in the final statement of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), stressing the islands are an “integral” part of the Iranian territory.
In a statement on Tuesday, Esmaeil Baghaei roundly dismissed the allegations brought up in the final communiqué of the 164th Ministerial Council meeting of the GCC countries, hosted by Kuwait, regarding the three Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Mu
The Iranian diplomat also dismissed as interventionist the remarks made in the statement regarding the decisions and actions by Iranian officials with respect to the aforementioned islands.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with exercising its sovereign rights, will take any essential action that deems necessary to ensure the security and interests of the country within the three islands, including their land, water, and airspace,” Baghaei emphasized.
The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry added, “What the Islamic Republic of Iran is doing in relation to its three islands is completely consistent with its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in exercising national sovereignty over the territory of Iran.”
“Accordingly, the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the comments made in the aforementioned statement regarding residential development, the visit of Iranian state and military officials to the Iranian islands, and military exercises within its territorial borders as interference in its sovereign affairs, and rejects them.”
Baghaei lamented that the GCC member states have once again repeated their baseless claims about the three islands without considering the historical and geographical realities.
Although such actions do not undermine Iran’s absolute and effective sovereignty over the three islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, they are in contradiction to the principles of international law on respecting the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the world states, he said.
The three islands “are an integral part of Iran’s territory, and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council is expected to adopt a more constructive approach, and rely on the commonalities of regional nations than to make baseless claims against Iran’s territorial integrity,” Baghaei stated.
The 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.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the spokesman responded to claims about the Arash offshore gas field in the Persian Gulf and emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran, having engaged in mutual negotiations with the Kuwaiti government, has always underlined constructive cooperation in the field of energy, including in the natural gas field and joint exploitation of its hydrocarbon resources.
“Doubtlessly, the measures that would be based on consideration of common interests and concerns can provide suitable grounds for strengthening regional cooperation,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted.
The dispute over the Arash gas field, which Kuwaitis call al-Durra, dates back to the 1960s when Iran and Kuwait were awarded overlapping offshore concessions for the field following its discovery.
The dispute has seen several cycles of claims and counter-claims by the parties involved, becoming a key sticking point in relations between the Persian Gulf neighbors.
The field is estimated to hold 20 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, which could produce one billion cubic feet per day. Nearly 40% of the Arash gas field is located in Iranian waters.
