In an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Mohsen Pakain referred to the joint statement of the European Union and the member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council and the repetition of the UAE claims about the three Iranian islands and said: behind the curtain of making these claims by different voices and platforms, the British government and the UAE, with the support of this country and the United States, is pursuing this baseless claim.

He continued: The fate of the three islands was determined before the victory of the (1979) revolution, and its belonging to Iran was confirmed. When Iran gave up Bahrain during the second Pahlavi era with the British conspiracy, London announced to the Shah of Iran that it would provide Iran with the three Iranian islands they had occupied in exchange for the handing over of Bahrain. This issue is also mentioned in the diary of “Emart-e Ma’amur,” written by Manouchehr Behnam, the first ambassador of Iran to the United Arab Emirates. Mr. Behnam has noted in a part of his memoirs: Sheikh Zaid sent a letter to the Shah of Iran in which he announced that we have no claim on the three islands of the Lesser Tunb, the Greater Tunb, and Abu Musa, and the related documents to this effect have been registered and are available at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran as well as in the United Nations.

This former diplomat of our country stated: After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, England, because of the hostility it had developed with Iran, provoked the UAE to raise the issue of the three islands so that this would throw obstacles in the way of closer relations with the Persian Gulf states. At the same time, the recent support for and cooperation of the European Union with the UAE’s claims should also be considered in the context of the developments in the region, the war in Ukraine, and pressure on Iran.

He said: There is no doubt that the three islands are owned by Iran. Iran exercises sovereignty over these islands, and the flag of our country has been hoisted on them. Even a number of Emirati Arabs who live in these islands live under the rules of Iran and have no worries about their presence in these islands.

This expert on international issues emphasized that the actions of the European Union and England show that they are pursuing hostile behavior against Iran and are trying to advance their goals in the region by provoking the UAE.

Pakain clarified: Basically, there is no place to make these claims from a legal point of view. The whole world knows that these claims are politically motivated, and the three islands will never be separated from Iran.

As a result, the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, especially those with special and high-level relations with Iran, are expected to revise their alignment and compliance with the wishes of the UAE, which is acting under the instigation and support of the United Kingdom and the United States. They are also expected not to question their good intentions and not cause Iran to lose its trust.