According to IRNA, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in a recent press conference made it clear that Berlin wants Iran and the United Arab Emirates to resolve the dispute over these three islands in the Persian Gulf peacefully through bilateral engagement based on international law.
The position of the German federal government on these three really small islands in the eastern Persian Gulf is clear and unambiguous as it supports a peaceful solution through bilateral engagement, Hebestreit said in response to question raised by a reporter about the dispute and Berlin's position on the three islands.
According to IRNA, the response was a clear sign of Germany's retreat from its previous harsh and extreme stance on Iran's ownership of these islands and even calling the Islamic Republic “an occupier”.
In October, the leaders of the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council member states issued a joint statement calling on Iran to end its "occupation of the three islands", sparking condemnations from the Islamic Republic which considers the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb inseparable parts of its territory.
But in this EU-PGCC statement, Iran's ownership of these islands were called a violation of the UAE's territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter.
Although supporting the UAE's claim about the three Iranian islands was not new, and this issue had previously been alluded to in joint statements with other countries, from the United States to China and Russia but calling Iran “an occupier” indicated that another front was being opened to pressurize Tehran by European countries.
The joint statement was immediately met with harsh reactions from senior Iranian officials, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi describing the accusation as "baseless " and emphasizing that the islands "have always belonged to Iran and will remain so forever."
Araghchi called the EU's recent position a "confrontational", saying the era of Europe's destructive interference with sinister plot has already ended.
Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Supreme Leader on international affairs, also called the EU-PGCC statement and the accusation of "occupation" of the three islands "baseless" and said that Iran, as the main owner of these islands, is closely monitoring the movements of those who wish to harm national and regional interests and will respond appropriately to any aggression against Iranian territory.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned as baseless the repeated claims on the three Iranian islands and attributed the change in tone of European countries to their "policy of passivity and blackmail" towards Israel.
The three Persian Gulf islands have historically been part of Iran, the proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. The UAE, however, has repeatedly laid claim to the islands.
The islands fell under British control in 1921, but on November 30, 1971, a day after British forces left the region and just two days before the UAE was to become an official federation, Iran’s sovereignty over the islands was restored.
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