Russia’s ambassador to Tehran was summoned by the Iranian Foreign Ministry after a joint statement was issued by Russia and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council regarding three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf.
Alireza Enayati, assistant to the foreign minister and Director General of the Persian Gulf Department at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, called in the Russian ambassador to hand over the Islamic Republic of Iran’s objections to the contents of the joint statement issued after the sixth ministerial meeting of strategic dialogue between Russia and the PGCC.
Enayati told the Russian envoy that the three islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb belong to Iran for eternity, and demanded that the Russian Federation rectify its stance on the matter, according to the Foreign Ministry’s website.
The Russian ambassador to the Islamic Republic stressed Moscow’s respect for Iran’s territorial integrity and said he would convey the matter to Moscow at the earliest.
On Tuesday Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani rejected the issues raised in the joint statement of the PGCC and Russia.
“These islands belong to Iran eternally and issuing such statements run counter to the friendly relations between Iran and the neighbors,” the spokesman said.
“Stressing the continuation of the policy of good neighborliness and mutual respect, the Islamic Republic of Iran regards the development and stability of the region as a collective responsibility of the regional countries,” he stated.
The islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa 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.
