Three islands in the southern part of Iran will become part of a new province called the Persian Gulf, FARS reports.
A member of the parliamentary commission for domestic policy of Iran Vali Esmaili said that Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunb merged into a single territory. A related document will be prepared by the Day of the Persian Gulf on April 29.
The three islands are still a matter of territorial disputes of Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recently visited Abu Musa, followed by an outcry of the UAE Foreign Ministry.
Press secretary of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Ramin Mehmanparast said that the three islands are Iranian territory. Commander of Iranian Ground Forces Ahmad Reza Pourdastan noted that if the problem cannot be resolved via diplomatic means, Iranian Armed Forces are ready for a military action.
