[caption id="attachment_24644" align="alignright" width="180"] Map shows the location of Iran’s three islands of the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa.[/caption]
An Iranian lawmaker says repeated claims made by the United Arab Emirates regarding the ownership of the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf lack legal and historical credibility.
“According to historical documents the triple islands belong to Iran and remarks made by the UAE foreign minister have no evidentiary or historical basis,” Chairman of Iran Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Saturday.
Addressing a news conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan rehashed unfounded claims about the sovereignty of the triple islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb, and urged Iran to address what he called were issues straining ties with Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region.
“When Iran was in possession of these islands, there was no place named United Arab Emirates in the political geography of the region,” Boroujerdi added.
The Iranian lawmaker further urged Emirati officials not to pursue politically motivated claims and discuss any ambiguity or misunderstanding regarding the three islands with Iranian officials.
The Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. However, the UAE has repeatedly laid claims on the islands.
The islands temporarily fell under British control in the 1800s but were returned to Iran on November 30, 1971 through a legal procedure that preceded the establishment of the UAE as an independent state.
By Press TV
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