A member of parliament reiterated that the three islands in the Persian Gulf are an integral part of Iran. Following recent assertions made by a UAE parliamentary spokesperson, Kazem Jalali said on Thursday, "The three islands (Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Mussa) in the Persian Gulf are an integral part of the Islamic Republic of Iran and any unfriendly statement in this regard is considered as interference in Iran's internal affairs," IRNA reported.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 10th meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states (PUIC) in Istanbul, he reiterated, "Raising the issue of the three Iranian islands at such a gathering in which Muslim states have convened to help forge unity and harmony is meaningless." The lawmaker added that "Iran has always made known its readiness to hold bilateral talks to remove any misunderstanding, while stressing its policy of good neighborly relations with all regional states, including the United Arabic Emirates."