Iran Parliament chief warns Russia ‘not to promote West plot to destabilize Persian Gulf’

Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday reaffirmed Iranian sovereignty over the Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb, to which the United Arab Emirates lays territorial claims, and strongly rejected the content of the statement with regards to the issue.

He said Russia had itself been a victim of and fighting against the geopolitical expansionism of the West and the NATO military alliance; therefore, “it should not contribute to the West’s geopolitical agenda to destabilize the Persian Gulf.”

“This is while Iran has been the sole guarantor of stability in the Persian Gulf and neutralizer of the West’s perilous plots in this sensitive region,” the Parliament chief added.

“We declare to the neighbors of Iran, including Russia, that protecting the region’s stability and economic development will be possible only through observing the good-neighborliness principle, including respecting our country’s territorial integrity,” he said.

Qalibaf said Iran reminds all parties once again that authentic historical documents prove the three islands belong to Iran, and “mere political statements cannot change the historical facts.”