Iran’s foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to Tehran to express its displeasure over Moscow’s support for the United Arab Emirate’s (UAE’s) claims over three disputed islands in the Persian Gulf.

The ministry said that the Russian envoy “emphasised Russia’s respect for Iran’s territorial integrity” and promised to relay the message of protest to Moscow. The statement comes after a joint strategic dialogue meeting on Monday between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Moscow in which they challenged Iran’s ownership of the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa islands.

Nasser Kanani, foreign ministry spokesman, rejected the statement saying that “these islands perennially belong to Iran and issuing these kinds of statements is in contradiction to Iran’s friendly relations with its neighbours.”

#Iran_news🧵
1- Iranian Foreign Ministry summons Russia’s ambassador to Tehran to protest about Moscow’s signing of the final statement of the #GCC meeting.
The statement calls for dialogue to resolve the dispute between Iran and UAE over 3 islands.👇

— Fereshteh Sadeghi فرشته صادقی (@fresh_sadegh) July 12, 2023

The islands have been governed by Iran since 1971, when the then-shah of Iran dispatched the royal navy to the three islands after the British withdrew their armed forces from what is today the UAE. However, Emirati leaders have since maintained that the islands belong to them, with support from other Arab states.

Iran has dismissed these calls, rejecting any negotiations. Mohammad Dehghan, the Iranian president’s deputy for legal affairs, also dismissed the UAE’s claims, saying all past documents indicate Iran’s indisputable ownership of the islands.

The summoning of the Russian ambassador is important as Tehran and Moscow grow closer politically, economically and militarily, especially after the start of the invasion of Ukraine last year. China has also been a key negotiator between Iran and Saudi Arabia in re-establishing diplomatic relations after seven years.

President Xi Jinping signed a joint statement with the GCC in December that supported the UAE’s right to follow up on the ownership of the islands internationally. However, Iran and China have since signed a number of agreements and supported improving bilateral relations.

Russia and the GCC have expressed their support for the agreement, hoping it would “constitute a positive step to resolve differences and end all regional disputes through dialogue and diplomatic means”.