SAEDNEWS: The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson dismissed as unfounded a claim regarding the country’s islands included in a statement issued following the Chinese foreign minister’s visit to the UAE, stressing that the trio islands are an inseparable part of Iran’s territory.
In a statement on Monday, Esmaeil Baqaei expressed regret over the United Arab Emirates’ insistence on leveraging the presence of diplomatic delegations in the Arab country to press territorial claims against Iran.
He strongly criticized the repetition of what he called the “unfounded and incorrect claim” concerning the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb, which appeared in the final statement released at the conclusion of the Chinese foreign minister’s visit to the UAE.
Baqaei emphasized that the three Iranian islands are integral and inseparable parts of Iran’s territorial domain, noting that any territorial claim over them directly contradicts the principles of respecting state sovereignty and the norms of good neighborliness.
According to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese foreign minister visited the UAE on December 12–13. During the visit, the Chinese side expressed support for what it described as the UAE’s efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the dispute over the three Iranian islands through bilateral negotiations, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Charter.
