TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham reiterated Iran�s sovereignty over its Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb, and dismissed �media hues and cries� on Tehran-Abu Dhabi secret agreements on the Iranian islands.


Speaking to reporters in a press conference here in Tehran on Tuesday, Afkham said the news reports about a hidden agenda for striking an agreement (with the UAE) on the three Iranian islands are merely �media hues and cries�.

�Iran�s sovereignty and territorial integrity is not negotiable at all and no change has been made in Iran�s explicit and official positions,� she underlined.

She described such media hues and cries as �completely targeted�, and said releasing such news will impair the public opinion and the Iranian nation and government�s confidence.

Afkham stressed that Iran�s sovereignty over the three islands is indisputable, and added, �Territorial integrity is no subject to negotiation and Iran has announced its positions explicitly and publicly and emphasizes on these positions again.�

Iran has many times underscored readiness to only hold talks with the UAE to remove possible misunderstandings over one of these islands.

�We are ready for talks with the UAE on the misunderstandings (on the implementation of the 1971 Memorandum of Understanding) on Abu Musa,� Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Facebook page earlier this month.

He deplored the western media for their attempts to stir political tension inside Iran by misquoting him about Iran's sovereignty over the Abu Musa island, and stressed that Iran and his ministry are pursuing the same policy on these islands which have been pursued over the last 20 years, that is speaking to the UAE to remove the misunderstandings over the Iranian island of Abu Musa.

Zarif underlined Tehran�s resolve to expand relations with the Persian Gulf littoral states, and said, �The security and tranquility of the Persian Gulf is a constant priority for Iran and it will remain so (in the future).�

Iranian officials have on many occasions rejected the claims raised by the UAE on the three Iranian islands, underlining that such statements are baseless and unfounded.

International documents clearly show that the three islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa which were historically owned by Iran, temporarily fell to British control in 1903. The islands were returned to Iran based on an agreement in 1971 before the UAE was born.

Iran has repeatedly declared that its ownership of the three islands is unquestionable.

Under the international law, no state can defy any agreement, which came into being before its establishment.

Yet, the UAE continues to make territorial claims against the Islamic Republic despite historical evidence and international regulations. Tehran has always stressed that it is ready�to remove the misunderstandings through talks.

By Fars News Agency

 

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