SAEDNEWS: Iran has voiced a strong warning to the UAE over its purported claims on the Persian Gulf islands, linking them to Abu Dhabi's broader regional ambitions and alliances with colonial powers.
Ali Akbar Velayati, Senior Adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader on International Affairs, addressed the rulers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), asking: “Are the repeated baseless claims regarding Iran’s islands part of your cooperation with colonial powers?” He underscored that “the patience of the Iranian people is not unlimited.”
In a statement posted Friday on X, Velayati emphasized the need to publicly address issues that had been avoided so far. He wrote: “We must ask the UAE government, what were you doing in Yemen? Are you also interested in the ownership of the Bab al-Mandab Strait? Why did you occupy Socotra Island, and what was its connection to US maritime ambitions? Do you also claim ownership of this island and the Strait of Hormuz?”
Velayati further noted, “The blood of tens of thousands of Muslims in Yemen and now in Sudan has been shed due to your expansionist policies. We must now ask: What does the UAE want in Sudan, and why are you acting in a way that contributes to the division of this country?”
He questioned whether the UAE is cooperating with the United Kingdom in Sudan, noting that many analysts interpret its actions as an attempt to establish a “delusional transnational empire.”
Concluding his remarks, Velayati said: “Are the repeated baseless claims regarding Iran’s islands also part of these collaborations with colonial powers? How can anyone claim ownership over Abu Musa Island, which belonged to Iran thousands of years before the establishment of the UAE? The patience of the Iranian people is not unlimited.”
