Claim on Iranian isles serve to avert focus from Israeli crimes

By Sadeq Dehqan

Staff writer IRAN DAILY

An Iranian parliamentarian believes that the motive behind the resurfacing of unsubstantiated claims regarding the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf is to distract public attention from Israeli crimes in Gaza and Lebanon. In an interview with Iran Daily, Ali Yazdan-Khah asserted that raising these issues is a deliberate ploy to divert attention, orchestrated by the Zionist regime’s supporters and carried out by their regional proxies, with the ultimate goal of deflecting scrutiny away from the plight of Gaza and Lebanon, at a time when the international community, including the Muslim world, remains fixated on the Zionist regime’s atrocities in these regions.

The European Union and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a joint statement during their first summit in Brussels on October 16, repeating allegations about Iran’s sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands -- Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. The Persian Gulf islands 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.
Referring to historical documents, the MP added, “Historical records dating back thousands of years confirm that the three islands have always belonged to Iran, and the repeated claims of ownership are made with ulterior motives. They themselves know that no one has the right to claim ownership of these islands except Iran.”
Yazdi-Khah emphasized that the United Nations and British documents confirm Iran’s ownership of the trio Islands. “The maps and documents clearly show that the islands have always been part of Iran. The issue of ownership was settled long ago, and there is no need to revisit it.”
He said, “There is no doubt that the three islands belong to Iran, and this is while we do not make any claims about other islands in the Persian Gulf that have also been under Iranian ownership and guardianship. However, if anyone is to make claims, it should be Iran that asserts its ownership of these other islands.”
“However, the Islamic Republic of Iran respects international and regional rules and agreements, and does not pursue these matters. On the other hand, it is not acceptable for cases to be fabricated against Iran and for such claims to be made,” he added.
Kamran Poladi, a member of the Iranian parliament’s Internal Affairs and Councils Committee, also commented on the issue, saying, “Our neighboring country, the UAE, is influenced by Western powers and occasionally raises such claims. However, these claims are baseless, and the three Islands are an inseparable part of Iran.”
Malek Fazeli, a former member of Parliament, also weighed in on the issue. “The UAE is not behind these claims; rather, it is the Western powers that are trying to stoke tension in the region.”
He added, “These provocations are carried out with the political objectives and intentions of Western countries. Colonial powers such as Britain, which have played a role in the political divisions of many regions of the world in the past, have created defects and flaws in the political borders of countries, leaving behind issues that they can use to create tension and conflict between countries whenever they want, and pursue their own interests through these tensions.”