Iran writes to UN officials over UAE claims to Iranian islands

 The mission of the I R of Iran to the United Nations has sent a letter to UN officials rejecting the United Arab Emirates’ claims of sovereignty over the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs in the Persian Gulf.

The letter, which was published by the Persian service of the Fars News Agency on Friday, has been written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, whose country holds the rotating Security Council presidency.

The letter denied the recent claims made by ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to the UN about the Iranian islands, saying that the islands are indivisible parts of Iran.

The Arab Group at the UN in a letter to Ban Ki-moon has condemned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Abu Musa Island, calling for an end to the “Iranian occupation” of the three Islands.

The UAE renewed its claims over the islands as Ahmadinejad visited Abu Musa Island on April 11.

The UAE claimed that the visit “is a flagrant violation of the United Arab Emirates’ sovereignty over its territory and a transgression of efforts to find a peaceful settlement to end Iranian occupation of the three UAE islands.”

The UAE recalled its ambassador to Tehran for consultations on April 11 over the issue.

In addition, the Emirates news agency reported on April 16 that the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash had summoned the Iranian ambassador to Abu Dhabi to protest about Ahmadinejad’s visit.

The UAE foreign minister met ambassadors representing UN Security Council member states in Abu Dhabi on April 15 to convey his country’s protest to Ahmadinejad’s visit.