Iran's thaw with regional rivals threatened by UAE, Kuwait disputes
The Islamic Republic's recent reconciliation efforts with its Arab rivals appeared to be on a bumpy road over disputes arising from the ownership of three Gulf islands and shares from the Durra gas field.
Iran strongly criticized this week the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over two statements by the Arab body that underlined lingering disputes between the Islamic Republic and its rivals in the region.
At a ministerial meeting in Cairo this week, the first GCC statement — also endorsed by the Japanese government — defended the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) claim to the three Gulf islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, all currently under Tehran's control. The GCC called for peaceful negotiations to address the UAE's position.
The Islamic Republic, in contrast, said the islands were not up for negotiation. "Iran has time and again emphasized its territorial sovereignty and has asserted its rule over the three Iranian islands in accordance with regulations agreed upon under international law," Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani declared on Thursday, as reported by Iran's state-funded Mizan News Agency.
Kanani argued that the islands "are inseparable and eternal parts of the Iranian soil," saying the GCC statement carried "zero political and legal value."
