UAE's false claims about Persian Gulf islands

By: Mohsen Pakaein

TEHRAN, (MNA) – Repeated often, but no less false: the UAE’s renewed claims over Iran’s trio Islands in the Persian Gulf contradicts history, law, and long-established reality.

Over the past weeks, some Arab countries, including the UAE, have once again repeated baseless claims about the three Iranian islands. This is while the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb are inseparable parts of Iran's territorial territory, and any territorial claim against them is fundamentally baseless and invalid, and clearly contradicts the principle of respect for the territorial integrity of countries and good neighborliness, as well as historical documents.

According to undeniable historical documents, Iran's sovereignty over the three islands has existed since the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid dynasties, and during this period, Iran ensured order and security for these islands based on its national sovereignty in the Persian Gulf and all its islands.

When the British were going through the colonial period and were looking to occupy various areas to increase their colonies, Britain occupied several areas of the Persian Gulf, including the Emirates, and declared itself as the guardian of the Emirates with military force and took this area from Iran. However, none of the Iranian governments at the time accepted this occupation and always tried to take back these islands in international forums, bilaterally and multilaterally, or through negotiations with Britain and others.

Finally, in 1971, with the beginning of the end of colonialism and Britain's preparation to leave the Persian Gulf, Britain and Iran reached an agreement, and after about 70 years of Iranian political complaints against Britain, these islands were finally returned to Iran. Both Iran and the Emirates accepted Abu Musa and two other islands under the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Iran, and from then on these three islands have been in the possession of Iran.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the British, who had themselves accepted that these islands belonged to Iran, instigated the Persian Gulf countries, including the UAE, to reopen the case of these false claims regarding the three islands and raise this issue again due to their opposition to the Islamic Revolution.

Since then, the UAE and Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, with the instigation of Britain and the support of Iran’s opponents and enemies, such as the United States and some European countries, as well as the behind-the-scenes actions of the Zionist regime, have been trying to keep this false claim alive, and by issuing statements from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council or the Arab League, and recently the European Union and the United States, they have raised this claim and supported the Emirates regarding these three islands.

Naturally, Iran will not accept these false actions and claims and will defend the three islands and its territorial integrity with all its might. At present, these three islands are completely under Iranian sovereignty, the Iranian flag is raised on them, and the Iranian armed forces are fully protecting these islands. November 30 has also been officially registered as the Trio Islands Day in the Iranian national calendar, and the judiciary has confirmed the ownership of these three islands in Iran based on historical documents and evidence.

The Persian Gulf littoral states should know that the primary goal of Britain and the United States in supporting this false claim is to destroy and weaken the close ties and good relations that have been established between Iran and the Persian Gulf littoral countries today. Repeating an unfounded claim to a part of a country's territory does not change the geographical and historical realities, and does not create any legal rights for the claimant.