The territorial dispute in the Persian Gulf has once again escalated at the diplomatic level. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei responded to a recent statement from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reiterating support for the UAE's claims to Iranian-held islands.
The islands - Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb - have been under Iranian control since 1971 but are also claimed by the UAE. Iranian authorities labeled this stance "baseless and false", stressing the legal invalidity of the Emirati claims.
"Repeating baseless claims to a part of the country's territory does not change the geographical and historical realities and does not create any legal rights for the claimant",
Esmail Bagai said.
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