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The Gulf Cooperation Council has reiterated its stance on Iran’s “occupation” of three islands in the Persian Gulf that it claims belong to the United Arab Emirates.
The foreign ministers of the six GCC countries issued a statement again, claiming that the Great Tunbu, Lesser Tunbu and Abu Musa have been illegally occupied by the regime.
council of ministers Hosted prominent figures, including Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, underscoring support for the United Arab Emirates’ sovereignty over the three islands, which it considers an integral part of the UAE’s territory .
During Wednesday’s meeting, they further added that any Iranian approach or action on the three islands is “null and void and will not affect the sovereign rights of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands”.
The Council of Ministers also called on Iran to respond to the United Arab Emirates’ efforts to resolve the issue through direct negotiations or resort to the International Court of Justice.
The three islands have been disputed since Britain withdrew its troops in 1971 and Mohammad Reza Shah sent the Iranian navy to defend them.
Iranian troops remain on the island, and only Abu Musa has a civilian population of less than 2,000.
The Security Council welcomed the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran reached in Beijing at the initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and hoped it would pave the way for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear enrichment, an issue of common concern to all GCC countries.
“[We] It is hoped that the agreement will be a positive step towards resolving differences and ending all regional conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, and building inter-state relations based on understanding, mutual respect and good neighborliness,” the statement read.
After seven years of deteriorating political relations, Iran and Saadi Arab signed a deal earlier this month brokered by China to restore time and open embassies in their respective capitals.
The Iranian flag is raised on one of three islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by the Imperial Navy in 1971
However, the continued activity of Iran’s proxy militia, the Houthi rebels, is proving a contentious issue, as their operations in Yemen show no signs of abating.
The Security Council reiterated its call on the Houthis to negotiate a political solution under UN supervision.
The Council of Ministers further condemned Iran’s continued “foreign interference in Yemen’s internal affairs by dispatching military experts and weapons to Houthi terrorist militias, in clear violation of Security Council resolutions”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani slammed the comments about the occupied islands, stressing on Thursday that the islands are an inalienable and eternal part of the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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