TERHAN - Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry on Wednesday over a joint Russian-Arab statement that called into question Iranian sovereignty over its islands in the Persian Gulf.

Russia and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries issued the statement after a round of strategic dialogue in which they reiterated the UAE position on the three Iranian islands of Abu Mousa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb, which Iran considers an unnegotiable part of its territory. 

Alireza Enayati, head of the Foreign Ministry Persian Gulf Department, summoned Dedov to convey Iran’s dissatisfaction with the statement. 

Enayati told the Russian ambassador that the three islands belong to Iran forever and called on Russia to correct its position in this regard. The joint statement endorsed the UAE's efforts to peacefully settle the issue of the islands through dialogue or international institutions. 

The Russian ambassador underlined Moscow’s respect for Iran’s territorial integrity and said he would convey the Iranian protest to his country. 

Earlier, Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, had reacted to the statement, underlining Iran’s sovereignty over the islands. 

Rejecting the content of the joint statement, Kanaani said, “These islands belong to Iran forever and issuing such statements is in contradiction with the friendly relations between Iran and its neighbors.” 

He said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes the continuation of the policy of good neighborliness and mutual respect, and considers the development and stability of the region to be the collective responsibility of the countries of the region,” Kanaani added.