UAE: Iran occupies and violates UAE sovereignty, Arab League

The Council of the Arab League has condemned Iran’s “occupation” of three disputed islands in the gulf and has called Tehran to hand them over to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Arab League Council expressed support to all peaceful means and measures taken by the UAE to restore its sovereignty over the three disputed islands, Greater Tunbs, Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa.

The Council said in a statement that Iran is “perpetuating its occupation of the three islands and violating the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates” which undermines regional security and stability.

At the beginning of the year, there were reports that the two governments have been engaged in secretive talks for the past six months with Oman serving as a mediator. Sources with knowledge of the talks claimed that a deal was reached and finalized and that Iran agreed to hand over to the UAE two of the islands while Abu Musa required further discussions.

It seems as if the deal have collapsed because the Arab League Council’s statement stressed that Iran should stop “violations and provocative acts” on the islands because it is interfering in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state.

Tehran is building dwelling facilities on the islands to house Iranians and its military drills took the islands into consideration. These settlements were described as illegal by the statement. The council hailed UAE’s efforts to find a peaceful settlement with Iran, with the hope that Iran will reconsider its stance, either through serious and direct negotiations or by resorting to the International Court of Justice.

The three islands are strategically located in the Strait of Hormuz; one of the world’s busiest oil shipping channels.