The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) reiterated its well-worn claims to three Iranian islands and the Arash gas field in a statement issued at the conclusion of its 46th summit in Bahrain on Wednesday night.
According to a report on the PGCC Secretariat’s website and Mehr News Agency, council leaders issued a statement in which they reiterated repeated claims about the three Iranian islands and the Arash oil and gas fields in several paragraphs.
Despite the fact that Greater Tunbu, Lesser Tunbu and Abu Musa islands are an integral part of Iranian territory, the PGCC claimed without any basis that these islands belong to the United Arab Emirates.
In its final communiqué, the Security Council reiterated its usual stance and maintained its position and previous resolution condemning Iran’s continued occupation of the three Emirate islands.
The PGCC interfered with Iran’s territorial sovereignty and further claimed that the UAE had sovereignty over the islands, territorial sea, airspace and exclusive economic zone, stating that the islands were an integral part of the Emirati territory.
Although all historical maps support Iran’s long-standing sovereignty over the three islands, the PGCC continued to make unsubstantiated claims, arguing that any actions, decisions, or activities by Iran on these islands are “null and void” and that such measures do not alter what it calls the UAE’s historic and legal rights to those islands.
The council also condemned Iran’s decision to include the “Persian Gulf Three Islands National Day” (Azhar 9/November 30) in its official calendar. This is a move rooted in Iranian sovereignty.
Despite the islands being an integral part of Iran, the PGCC called on Tehran to respond to what it called the UAE’s efforts to resolve the issue through direct negotiations or by referring the case to the International Court of Justice.
Going further, the council denounced Iran’s plans to build its own homes on three islands as a “provocative act” and expressed concern over what it called “measures to escalate tensions” by Iranian officials.
The PGCC also opposed Iranian military exercises on the islands and visits by senior Iranian officials, calling them reprehensible actions. It also said that statements made by Iranian authorities regarding the islands are hostile and escalating, and that such statements violate what it calls the UAE’s sovereignty.
The PGCC called on Iran to refrain from what it called “provocative actions” and to take positions that, according to the council, would build confidence towards a so-called just settlement regarding the islands.
In another part of the statement, PGCC asserted that the Arash (Al-Durrah) gas field lies entirely within Kuwaiti waters and that ownership of the natural resources in the shared neutral zone, including the Al-Durrah (Arash) gas field, belong exclusively to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, who are the only parties entitled to exploit the resources.
The Council rejected any claims by the other side regarding rights to fields or adjacent neutral zones near the maritime border between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
These claims come despite Iran’s repeated emphasis on its historical and legal ownership of the three islands and its rights to the Arash gas field.
MNA/6677480