The littoral states concluded the group’s 36th annual summit in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, using the event’s final communiqué to express support for what they called the Emirates’ “right” to the islands’ soil, waters, and airspace.
Reacting to the statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber-Ansari said on Saturday that the islands of the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa are inseparable parts of the Iranian territory.
“Repeating baseless claims has no effect on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s territorial integrity and is considered an unconstructive position,” he said.
The islands have historically been parts of Iran. The Iranian sovereignty over them has been pointed to in countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in the Islamic Republic as well as other parts of the world.
