Payman Ghadirkhomi, the second secretary for Iran's UN mission in New York in reaction to the baseless claims of the representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in UN reiterated that three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb are an integral and inseparable part of Iranian territory and any claim will be categorically rejected.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 76th UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tue., Payman Ghadirkhomi stated, “I would like to respond to the baseless claims of UAE representative against the territorial integrity of my country in relation to the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its firm and principled position that it does not recognize the existence of such a dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he said, adding that these three islands have been an integral part of Iranian territory and any claim, on the contrary, is categorically turned down.

However, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always expressed its readiness for bilateral talks with the UAE with the aim of removing any misunderstandings that may exist on the part of UAE over Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, the envoy emphasized.

The representative of the United Arab Emirates should also be reminded that the correct term" Persian Gulf "has been used since 500 BC to refer to the water zone between Arabian Peninsula and the Iranian plateau, and its name will remain the same forever, Ghadirkhomi added.