Planet Iran

May 2, 2010

Political tensions between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached new levels this week when a recent statement made by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates foreign minister, compared the Iranian occupation of the three disputed islands in the Persian Gulf (Abu Musa, Major Tonb and Minor Tonb) to the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories. Al Nahyan’s comment provoked strong reactions in Tehran where the UAE Chargee d’affaires was called to a disciplinary meeting in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, to answer.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast said that Al Nahyan’s comment was outrageous and baseless. He noted that the three islands have always belonged and will always belong to Iran, and that such statements were not conducive to a peaceful resolution of the heated issues between the two countries. Mehmanparast added that such accusations instigate debate and need to be taken to be addressed through dialogue. Mehmanparast maintained that the UAE official should avoid making statements that are a distractions to the world, destructive to Muslim public opinion and purpose, and that the focus must be kept squarely on crimes committed by the “Zionist regime” in the occupied territories, and such statements work to Israel’s advantage.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian Parliament (Majles) also responded by saying that Al Nahyan clearly spoke as a mouthpiece for the British government and that both Britain and the US have always sought to provoke conflict among the countries of the region, and that it was pressure that they exerted on Arab leaders that spurred officials from those countries to make such ill-advised statements. Boroujerdi continued: “Since the early days of our Islamic revolution, the US and Britain have done their utmost to create a fear of Iran among Arab countries in order to compromise their relations and persuade them to purchase Western weapons.”

The hardline daily newspaper Kayhaan reacted just as strongly and in an editorial covered the historical evidence proving that the three disputed islands belonged to Iran. Kayhaan wrote: “The statement made by the foreign minister is proof that the Arab Sheikhs of the Persian Gulf are not knowledgeable enough in history and are unable to tell friend from foe. Instead of condemning the new schemes of Israel, which plans to deport tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, the UAE foreign minister once again brings up absurd claims regarding Iran’s sovereignty in the three Persian Gulf islands. In recent months, countries in the region have become increasingly envious of Iran’s impressive achievements in various spheres, including intelligence (such as the arrest of Jondollah leader Abdolmalek Rigi), military (such as the long-range missile test), diplomacy (the failure of the US and its allies to secure the support of the international community for sanctions against Iran and the meeting of the nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran), and politics (the successful handling of the riots which broke out after the presidential elections and the strengthening of Iran’s regional and international status). However, Iran poses no threat to any Arab country, going as far as to announce its willingness to put its technological capabilities at the disposal of the Muslim world. The statements made by the UAE foreign minister therefore do not reflect a concern over Iran’s power, but rather a concern over the possibility of his countrymen rising up against their rulers.”

It should be mentioned that the tension between Iran and the UAE over the latter’s territorial demands on the three disputed Persian Gulf islands goes back many years.