WANA (Sep 15) – The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Moscow on Monday, September 15, 2025, issued a statement rejecting remarks by Jassim Muhammad Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC), regarding the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb.

 

The embassy stressed that the islands are an inseparable part of Iran’s sovereign territory, declaring: “Repeating baseless claims does not create any legal validity and cannot undermine the indisputable sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran over these islands.”

 

Al-Budaiwi had raised the issue during the eighth round of strategic dialogue between Russian and PGCC foreign ministers, held in Sochi on September 11, where he urged Iran to respond to the United Arab Emirates’ calls for dialogue over the islands.

 

Tehran’s mission in Moscow dismissed such statements as interference in Iran’s internal affairs, adding that any action by Iran on the islands is a legitimate exercise of national sovereignty.

 

The response follows similar tensions earlier this month, when the PGCC foreign ministers’ meeting reiterated claims not only over the islands but also over the Arash gas field. Iran’s Foreign Ministry firmly rejected those assertions, emphasizing that “such repetitive and unfounded claims will never alter the historical, geographical, and legal facts regarding Iran’s sovereignty.”

The Name of the Persian Gulf Displayed at the National Museum of Qatar / WANA News Agency

The Name of the Persian Gulf Displayed at the National Museum of Qatar / WANA News Agency