Iran reiterates sovereignty over disputed Gulf Islands‎.

Iran reiterates sovereignty over disputed Gulf Islands‎.(AA).The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman reiterated this week that the disputed islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb, claimed by both Iran and the United Arab Emirates, will remain Iranian forever. “The islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb are indispensable parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s territories and they will remain Iranian forever,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said in a statement on Tuesday. Mehman-Parast denied statements made by foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in their 124th meeting about the islands being occupied by Iran. “These statements are absolutely groundless and they have no proof of their validity,” he said. In the meeting held Sunday in the Saudi city of Jeddah, GCC officials condemned Iran’s constant intervention in the domestic affairs of Gulf countries and lashed out at Iran’s insistence on “occupying” the three islands which, they argued, belong to the UAE. The GCC issued a statement declaring that its member states support the UAE in its claim over the islands, controlled by Iran since the withdrawal of British troops in 1971. “We support the UAE’s sovereign rights on the three islands, which are part of its territories,” the statement read.Read the full story here.