The Iranian foreign ministry criticized the UAE for repeating its territorial claims through the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) over the three islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf.
"Repetition of baseless claims doesn’t affect the historical realities and it is rejected," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said on Saturday, Iranian media reports.
"Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb islands are indispensable parts of the Iranian territory," she said.
International documents clearly show that the three islands, which were historically owned by Iran, temporarily fell under British control in 1903. But they were returned to Iran based on an agreement in 1971 before the UAE was formed.
Yet, the UAE continues to make territorial claims against Iran despite historical evidence and international regulations.
