The UAE has re-iterated its demand for an end to what it describes as Iranian occupation of three disputed Gulf islands.
Speaking at the 67th session of the United Nationals General Assembly in New York, UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that Iran’s presence on Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs was contrary to international law.
He called on the international community to encourage Iran to respond to the UAE’s calls for a settlement to the dispute, either via direction negotiations or through the International Court of Justice.
“We hope the Iranian government will deal with this sensitive and important issue in a positive and just manner in order to establish good neighbourly relations, build bridges of cooperation, preserve the common interests between our two countries, and strengthen security and stability in the region as a whole,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs islands have been held by Iran since 1971, shortly before the seven Gulf emirates gained full independence from Britain and formed the UAE.
A further cause of rising tension between Iran and Gulf Arab states has been Tehran’s nuclear research, which Gulf Arab rulers fear is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely civilian.
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