TEHRAN - The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned China’s ambassador to Tehran to protest Beijing’s support for the United Arab Emirates’ “baseless claims” about three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf.

According to a statement by the ministry, the Chinese ambassador was "notified of the protest of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government regarding the repetition of the Chinese government’s support for the baseless claims about the three islands in paragraph 26 of the final statement of the China-UAE joint meeting," it added.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry director for Persian Gulf Department, while highlighting the “special and unique relations” between Iran and China, said respect to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries is one of the internationally recognized principles and Iran considers any claims about its islands by “any side” as “unacceptable”.

“Given the strategic cooperation between Iran and China it is expected that the Chinese government to rectify its position on this issue,” the foreign ministry official pointed out.

The three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world.

However, the United Arab Emirates has repeatedly laid claim to the islands.

The islands fell under British control in 1921 but on November 30, 1971, a day after British forces left the region and just two days before the UAE was to become an official federation, Iran’s sovereignty over the islands was restored.