Iran summoned its Russian ambassador after Moscow and Arab countries issued a joint statement this week rejecting Iran’s claim to disputed islands in the Persian Gulf, the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA) announced on Sunday.
The Russian ambassador was summoned on Saturday and received a memorandum – to be sent to Moscow – in which Tehran protested the statement issued by the “Sixth Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum”, held in Morocco, which called for a peaceful solution to the dispute between Iran and the UAE over these islands.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian informed his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Saturday evening – via telephone – that respect for the sovereignty and integrity of countries is “one of the basic principles in relations between countries,” according to IRNA in a separate report.
This is the second time this year that Iran has summoned the Russian ambassador, to protest Moscow’s statements regarding the disputed islands.
Tehran summoned the Russian ambassador last July over a similar statement.
The incident is a rare diplomatic dispute between the two countries, which have deepened their relations since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Iran provided Russia with Shahed drones, which were used to cause major losses in Ukraine, and both countries are strong supporters of Syrian regime President Bashar al-Assad.
Iran summoned its Chinese ambassador in 2022, due to a similar joint statement with Arab countries.
Iran took control of the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb after the withdrawal of British forces from there in 1971.
Tehran considers these islands an “integral part” of its territory.
The UAE also claims the three islands, and has been pressing for a negotiated solution for a long time.
The three islands dominate the route to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies pass.
Iran says that the islands were within the Persian countries from ancient times until their occupation by the British in the early twentieth century.
She adds that the agreement reached with Sharjah, one of the seven emirates, gives it the right to administer Abu Musa Island and deploy forces there.
There is no similar agreement on the other two islands.
The UAE says that these islands belonged to the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, until Iran seized them by force days before the formation of the UAE Federation.
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2023-12-24 08:43:01
