Iran protests EU support for UAE over disputed islands

Iran summoned the ambassador of Hungary, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, to protest a joint EU-Gulf Cooperation Council statement on islands controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE, state media reported on Sunday.

The statement, published after the first summit between the two regional blocs on Wednesday, said, "We call on Iran to end its occupation of the three islands of the United Arab Emirates, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, which constitutes a violation of the sovereignty of the UAE and the principles of the Charter of the UN".

The islands located near the Strait of Hormuz, a globally vital shipping lane, have been disputed between the United Arab Emirates and Iran for decades.

Tehran has controlled the islands since 1971 at the end of British imperial rule over them.

"The Hungarian ambassador was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry to protest against the repetition of certain baseless claims in the joint declaration from the leaders of the EU and the GCC", the official IRNA news agency reported.

The foreign ministry called the EU's stance "thoughtless, irresponsible and devoid of any legal basis," IRNA added.

On Monday, the European Union accused Tehran of supplying missiles and drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine and imposed fresh sanctions on the country.

In April 2023, Iran named an ambassador to the UAE for the first time in nearly eight years as part of improving diplomatic relations with Gulf Arab states.