Iran: if the US is ready to negotiate ownership of New York, Iran will consider negotiations on ownership of its islands.

Iran: if the US is ready to negotiate ownership of New York, Iran will consider negotiations on ownership of its islands. (IMRA). Tehran, April 28, IRNA – Professor of geo-politics Pirooz Mojtahedzadeh said on Saturday that the United Arab Emirates must honor the Treaty of November, 29, 1971 on the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. Mojtahedzadeh said that number one fault with the UAE is its failure to respect the Treaty on ownership of Iranian islands. He is a lecturer of the United Nations University, intructor of geopolitics doctoral studies at University of London and doctoral studies on the Persian Gulf at Oxford University. He said that he prefers to designate November 30, the day of retaking ownership of Iranian Islands in the Persian Gulf from the UK as National Day for the Persian Gulf. 'The first fault with the UAE is that it does not respect November 1971 Treaty.' He said that in November 1971 four radical Arab states – Iraq led by Saddam Hussein, Libya led by Muammar Gaddafi, Algeria and Yemen complained to United Nations over ownership of Iranian Islands and the UAE joined them after the Emirates emerged. The then US and UK permanent ambassadors to UN in the meeting acknowledged Iranian ownership of the Persian Gulf Islands.
'This is a response to US President Barack Obama who has sided with UAE.' He said that when Tony Blair was the UK prime minister, one of his aides had speculated about Iranian Islands. 'I wrote a letter to him to remind him that the UK had ended occupation of the Islands and gave them back to Iran in 1971. He later apologized for his unlawful remarks.' Mojtahedzadeh said that he backed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Abu Mousa. The president must have made such a visit to Iranian Islands to tell Obama that Abu Mousa is a part of Iranian territory. He said that he has written an article to be published soon addressing Obama that if the US administration is ready to negotiate ownership of New York, Iran will consider negotiations on ownership of its islands. He criticized the transitional government after victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran for downgrading Iranian military power in the Persian Gulf and said that Iranian military was safeguarding the unique status of Iran in the Persian Gulf. He also blamed the revolutionary government for decreasing Iranian oil output from six million bpd to three million bpd and said that in fact Iran helped other oil producing countries to get greater quota from the market. The third fault with the revolutionary government was lack of objection from Iran to the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, he said, adding that the deposed Shah's government tried to prevent the PGCC from take shape citing it a Saudi scheme. 'Instead of preventing the PGCC from taking shape, the revolutionary government called for membership in the anti-Iran grouping.'Read the full story here.

Gulf Cooperation Council forces wil join in military exercises called "Islands of Loyalty".

Gulf Cooperation Council forces wil join in military exercises called "Islands of Loyalty". (IMRA).The nations that make up the Peninsula Shield Force will conduct war-game exercises called "Islands of Loyalty" on Sunday and Monday, the state news agency Wam reported yesterday. "The Peninsula Shield Force will test the harmony and coordination among ground, air and naval forces and their readiness," Wam said. It added the force would test its members' ability to carry out "special, limited and major missions along coasts and islands within the territorial waters". There were no further details. Peninsula Shield, which has carried out routine multilateral exercises since 1983, said next week's exercises were part of their continuing cooperation. The force, comprising up to 30,000 troops, was founded in 1982 and consists of elements from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE. The exercises follow a diplomatic furore over the recent visit by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the island of Abu Musa, widely condemned by Arab and western states. Iran invaded and occupied Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs in 1971. This week, a senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) underlined the strategic importance of the islands to Iran. He added that the republic had deployed forces and equipment to defend them this week. "Various types of offensive and defensive systems, including brigades of IRGC marines, have been deployed in the Iranian islands, especially in Abu Musa, the Lesser Tunb and the Greater Tunb," Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, the commander of IRGC Naval Forces, said on Monday.Read the full story here.