Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has strongly condemned a joint statement by the United Arab Emirates and Canada regarding the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf.

In a post on X on Saturday morning, Baghaei described the UAE’s territorial claims as absurd and Canada’s decision to echo them as short-sighted and contrary to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.

He underlined that the UAE was only established in 1971, yet despite the overwhelming historical record, geographical facts and documented evidence, it continues to lay claim to the Iranian islands “whose history of being part of IRAN stretches back many millennia before the establishment of the federation itself.”

“Remarkably, Canada’s Prime Minister has chosen to echo this absurd claim!” Baghaei said.

He noted that Canada, of all countries, must understand the importance of territorial integrity and national sovereignty, pointing to its own history marked by the American invasion during the War of 1812, the Montreal Annexation Manifesto of 1849, and more recently Donald Trump’s repeated threats to turn Canada into the 51st state of the United States.

“A country that has spent more than two centuries defending its territorial integrity against the ambitions of its southern neighbour — how can it take sides in a fabricated dispute and endorse an unfounded territorial claim that amounts to dangerous adventurism?” Baghaei asked.

“Is territorial integrity and respect for historical and legal facts a fundamental principle for Canada, or does it matter only when Canada’s own sovereignty is at stake? Does Canada not realize that, in doing so, it is effectively sawing off the very branch on which it sits?”

Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UAE President Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a joint statement calling for an end to what they described as the “occupation” of the three islands, alleging that it violates the UAE’s sovereignty and the principles of the UN Charter.

Baghaei reiterated that Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb are inseparable and eternal parts of Iranian territory, stressing that the repetition of illusory and baseless claims will not alter established geographical, historical and legal realities.

The Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa and 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 baseless claim to the islands.

Iran designates November 30 as national day for Persian Gulf trio islands

The Iranian government has designated November 30 as the national day for the Persian Gulf trio 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. Iran has since exercised continuous, effective and undisputed control over the territories, and has formally registered ownership documents for them in the name of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Baghaei advised the UAE government to adhere to the principle of good neighborliness instead of fruitlessly repeating territorial claims against a major neighboring country.