TEHRAN- Tehran has stressed that it will not hesitate to protect its territorial integrity and has denounced as an intrusion in its domestic affairs the joint statement issued by a number of Arab nations and Russia over Iran’s three Persian Gulf islands, Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb.

Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei’s top advisor, Ali Akbar Velayati, stated on Thursday that he believed the concluding remarks of the 6th Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum in Morocco about the three Iranian islands amounted to meddling in Iran’s domestic affairs.

Decrying the communiqué, he continued, “The meeting was held in the presence of some Arabs, who are indifferent to the fate of the Palestinians, and Russian experts in Morocco and issued a statement that has various flaws, the most important of which is interference in Iran’s affairs.”

Instead of taking effective action to halt Israel’s attack in Gaza, the UAE —which has adopted a “regrettable” position against the Palestinians and supported Israel’s massacre of the oppressed people in Gaza— keeps bringing up this “baseless claim” regarding the three islands.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as the rightful owner of the trio islands, will closely watch the actions of those who wish to harm the national and regional interests and will respond accordingly,” he pointed out. 

The ownership of the islands “will not be affected by such poor meetings,” Velayati continued.

“The strategic and friendly relations between Iran and Russia have not been achieved easily,” the top advisor added, urging Russia to be even more cautious about its positions regarding the Islamic Republic.

“In such circumstances that Russia is in a complex international situation, some positions of the Russian Foreign Ministry are regrettable,” he said, acknowledging that “although, some political pressures on Russia in the current complicated situation will cause it to damage its reputation in order to obtain a worthless point.”

There are innumerable historical, legal, and geographical records in Iran and other countries that attest to the historical status of the three Persian Gulf islands—Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs—as belonging to Iran.

Nonetheless, the islands have been consistently claimed by the United Arab Emirates.

The islands were ruled by the British until November 30, 1971, when Iran regained authority over them two days before the United Arab Emirates was set to become an official federation, and one day after the British withdrew their troops from the region.

“No hesitation to preserve territorial integrity”

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry debunked the accusations regarding the three Iranian islands on Thursday in a separate statement, calling them “baseless and unacceptable.”

Nasser Kanaani underscored that “the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb, located in the blue waters of the Persian Gulf, eternally belong to Iran and are an inseparable part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s land.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not consider its territorial integrity and sovereignty over the three islands negotiable and rejects any claim by any side on the issue and will not back down from its sovereignty and territorial rights in any way,” he added.

The spokesman emphasized the policy of strengthening connections with neighboring nations and the need of adhering to the principle of good neighborliness.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran asks all its northern and southern neighbors to refrain from making and repeating certain rejected claims and to take into account the actual and potential capacities at the bilateral and regional levels,” he stated.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate a bit to preserve its territorial integrity,” he said.