The European Union Supports the UAE's Claim on Iran's Three Islands

The Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union, in a joint statement, accused Iran of "occupying" Iran's three islands in the Persian Gulf and called for an end to this situation. Iran dismissed this claim as "a baseless accusation." The statement, published on Wednesday, October 17, called on the Islamic Republic to end the "occupation" of the three islands, which they claim belong to the "United Arab Emirates," in accordance with the United Nations Charter regarding respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries. The unprecedented statement explicitly stated that Iran's sovereignty over Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa constitutes a "violation of the sovereignty" of the UAE and is considered a "breach". The United Arab Emirates has been making claims over the ownership of these three islands in the Persian Gulf for decades, and several Arab countries have supported this claim, especially during periods of heightened political tension with the Islamic Republic. However, the EU's support for such a claim has not been seen before, and the issuance of this joint statement coincides with increasing tensions between Iran and the West over the IRGC's missile attack on Israel and the Islamic Republic's support for Russia in its military invasion of Ukraine, both of which have led to some sanctions from the EU against Iran. Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, reacted to this statement by saying that the Iranian section in the joint statement of the EU and the GCC "contains many messages." Araqchi accused Europe of adopting a "confrontational" approach instead of Tehran's proposal for "respectful cooperation," referring to the EU's sanctions on Iranian airlines due to Iran's missile attack on Israel. The Islamic Republic's Foreign Minister also called the claim of "occupation" of the three islands by Europe against Iran a "baseless accusation," stating that "the three islands have always belonged to Iran and will forever remain so." The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry commented on the EU's support for the UAE's claim regarding the Iranian islands, saying, "The tone of European countries regarding the Iranian three islands stems from their policy of passivity and appeasement" towards Israel. Ismail Baqaei, while criticizing Arab countries, added, "It was expected that the regional countries would use the opportunity of the joint meeting with the leaders of the EU member states, some of whom are major suppliers of weapons and political support" for Israel, to "hold them accountable and stop the genocide and aggressions" of this country. Ali Akbar Velayati, the advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on international affairs, also commented on the aforementioned statement, stating that Iran, as the "main owner of the three islands, is closely monitoring the movements of those hostile to national and regional interests and will respond appropriately to any aggression against our territory, and the certainty of this belonging will not be undermined by such weak and baseless claims." In response to this statement, Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokesperson for the Iranian government, wrote on her social media account: "The European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council are not in a position to comment on the great land of Iran." Earlier this year, China also insisted on its support for the UAE's territorial claim against Iran's three islands in a joint statement following a meeting with the UAE, which angered Iranian officials. However, the spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, after the reaction of Iranian officials, described his country's position on this issue as "a stable position" and once again called for the "resolution of disputes" between Iran and the UAE through dialogue and consultation. Previously, in January 2023, Moscow's support for the UAE's claim regarding the three islands had also made headlines and provoked a strong reaction from Iranian officials. At that time, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, signed a joint statement at an Arab countries' summit in Morocco, which mentioned the UAE's right to sue Iran regarding the three islands. The joint statement of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union emphasized the importance of diplomatic engagement with Iran to pursue a policy of "regional de-escalation" and stated that the nature of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program must remain peaceful, and the production of ballistic missiles and drones and technologies that threaten regional security and beyond must also be halted. In this statement, while emphasizing that the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council remain committed to "diplomacy" regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities, the Iranian government was urged to pursue a policy of regional de-escalation. The Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union also expressed regret over the progress of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in the past five years, which has made a return to the JCPOA difficult. The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran is conducting advanced nuclear research. In this statement, Iran was asked to fully implement its safeguards commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The joint statement clearly emphasized that the Islamic Republic's nuclear program must never be developed and must not move towards acquiring nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, this statement repeatedly emphasized the importance of "non-interference in the internal affairs and avoidance of the use of force or threats" against other countries in the region, and the commitment of this council and the union to the Gulf and the region being free of nuclear weapons was also emphasized. Previously, leaders of seven industrialized and advanced countries had warned the Islamic Republic to stop its uranium enrichment activities. The G7 leaders stated that "there is no credible civilian justification" for this level of uranium enrichment in Iran. Their warning came after Reuters reported on June 14, citing a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Iran had rapidly installed additional centrifuges in response to the Board of Governors' resolution at the Fordow facility.