TEHRAN- The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri along with several cultural and tourism officials has paid a visit to the Persian Gulf island of Abu Musa, southern Hormozgan province.

Salehi-Amiri was welcomed officially by the governor of Abu Musa upon his arrival on Tuesday. The minister's visit includes tours of tourism projects and infrastructural developments as part of his agenda on the island.

This trip aligns with the directives of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei aims at promoting a sea-based economy and focusing on the development of islands in the southern region of the country. A number of investors accompanied the minister to Abu Musa Island as well.

With an area of 12.8 square kilometers, Abu Musa Island enjoys a warm and humid climate as well as a variety of plants and marine life.

The Abu Musa, along with two other Iranian islands of Greater and Lesser Tunb, sit near important oil shipping channels at the mouth of the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.

On October 17, a joint meeting was held in Brussels featuring the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union. The final statement from this gathering included unfounded claims regarding Iran's territorial integrity, calling on Iran to end its alleged occupation of the three islands—Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa—that are claimed by the United Arab Emirates. The statement asserted that this occupation violates the sovereignty of the UAE and contravenes the principles outlined in the United Nations Charter.

Legal experts indicate that when British colonial rule ended in the region in 1971, the newly established nations, including the UAE and Bahrain, rightfully transferred ownership of the islands to Iran, as all historical records affirm their Iranian heritage.

Following the EU's support for baseless claims regarding the three Persian Gulf islands, a widespread wave of solidarity for these islands has emerged among artists, social media activists, and various segments of society.

SAB/