Esmaeil Baghaei defends Iran's sovereignty claim to the three islands.
Esmaeil BaghaeiIranian foreign ministry spokesperson
Esmaeil Baghaei defends Iran's sovereignty claim to the three islands.
“it lays claim to these IRANIAN islands whose history of being part of IRAN stretches back many millennia”
Original post
Where this statement fits
UAE and Canada call three islands occupied; Iran rejects the claim.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan called for an end to what they described as the occupation of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb. Their October 28, 2026 joint statement said the situation violated UAE sovereignty and principles of the UN Charter. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected that position, asserting that the islands belong to Iran and criticizing Canada for endorsing the UAE claim. The UAE has also called for a peaceful settlement through direct negotiations or referral to the International Court of Justice.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson disputes the UAE claim and criticizes Canada's endorsement. The post was published October 30 in Eastern time.
Before the quotation
Baghaei opens by noting that the UAE federation was established in 1971.
After the quotation
He challenges Canada's consistency on territorial integrity and rejects the UAE claim.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
He expressly asserts Iranian ownership and rejects the demand underlying criticism of Iran's control.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseCarney and Sheikh Khaled call for an end to occupation of Abu Musa and the Tunbs.
“they called for an end to the occupation of the three islands of the UAE”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Esmaeil Baghaei defends Iran's sovereignty claim to the three islands.
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/7807-esmaeil-baghaei-defends-iran-s-sovereignty-claim-to
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Esmaeil Baghaei defends Iran's sovereignty claim to the three islands.". First published: 2026-11-03. Last updated: 2026-11-03. https://disputeindex.com/events/7807-esmaeil-baghaei-defends-iran-s-sovereignty-claim-to