WANA (Sep 04) – A senior member of Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Behnam Saeidi, has strongly rejected a statement by Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) foreign ministers regarding the status of the three disputed Persian Gulf islands, declaring that they “will forever belong to Iran.”

 

“This baseless and hollow claim is repeated by the GCC every year,” the lawmaker said, adding that the argument cited by the council has “no international or even regional legal basis.”

 

He stressed that the islands are an inseparable part of Iran’s territory: “The three islands will remain part of Iran forever, and such claims will bring them no benefit. The Islamic Republic of Iran will not retreat even a hair’s breadth from its land.”

 

The MP also criticized certain regional actors for fueling the dispute, saying their positions are influenced by “countries and governments provoked by others.”

 

He concluded by stating that the islands are as integral to Iran as its capital: “There is no difference between the three islands and Tehran.”

 

The PGCC ministerial council, in its communiqué issued after the meeting in Kuwait on Monday, repeated its long-standing position by claiming that the three islands—Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb—belong to the United Arab Emirates. The statement also rejected Iran’s rights over the jointly shared Arash gas field, asserting that the field lies entirely within Kuwaiti maritime boundaries and belongs solely to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

 

In addition, the council stressed the importance of continuing negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution to Iran’s nuclear issue, a process which, according to the communiqué, should also address all security concerns of PGCC member states.

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran also stated on Tuesday, firmly rejecting the latest claims made in the final communiqué of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) foreign ministers’ meeting regarding Iran’s sovereignty over the three islands, the Arash gas field, and its nuclear program.