Iran’s Ownership Over 3 PG Islands, Undeniable

Tehran, Feb 19, IRNA – Iran’s ownership over the Greater and the Lesser Tunbs as well as the Abu Mousa islands is a historic and undeniable fact, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzaiyeh Afkham reiterated on Wednesday. She made the remarks in reaction to the demand of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for raising the issue of the three Iranian islands at the United Nations Security Council. Afkham said that the UAE made the claim in line with a UN program upon which all member states have routine correspondence with the secretary general to discuss certain issues and record them as a UN document. She said that any country that is opposed to the issues raised in the UN records can release its own documents against it to be registered as UN papers. The spokeswoman stressed that Iran’s representative to the UN has published a statement against the UAE claims reiterating Tehran’s firm position on the three Iranian islands. The statement was handed over to the UN officials. The Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found in and verified 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./end