Iran summons Hungarian ambassador over EU-GCC claims on three Iranian islands in PG

Hungary’s ambassador Giola Peto, whose country holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, was called in by the director general of the Western Europe Department at the Iranian Ministry of Affairs on Sunday.

The European Union and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a joint statement on Wednesday, repeating allegations about Iran’s sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands -- Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa.

During the session, the Iranian Foreign Ministry official emphasized that all countries, including the EU member states, must comply with the rules and principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, particularly the principle of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other states.

He strongly condemned the European Union’s unjustified support for some “baseless and illegal” claims against Iran's territorial integrity.

The official reaffirmed Iran’s sovereignty over the three islands in the Persian Gulf as a historical and legal fact and criticized the EU for taking a biased, incorrect and thoughtless stance in this regard.

He noted that the EU stance lacks any legal value and urged the union to prevent its repetition and correct it immediately.

The Hungarian ambassador, for his part, said he would convey Iran's protest to his country as soon as possible.

The Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. However, the United Arab Emirates 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.