Iranupdated 55m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 12 November 2025Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei Condemns Canada’s Support For UAE Claim Over Abu Musa
4 West Asian1 Other1 Western AlternativePhoto: Mehr News Agency, CC BY 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Esmaeil Baqaei condemns UAE-Canada interference; Abu Musa and Tunbs are inseparable Iranian territory. Joint UAE-Canada statement cited; Iran counters with historical records and geographical evidence.
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Canada echoes UAE claim
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei attacked Canada’s support for the United Arab Emirates’ claim to Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, saying the UAE “lays claim to these IRANIAN islands” despite what he called “overwhelming historical record” and “documented evidence.” Baghaei said Canada’s Prime Minister had chosen to echo what he called an “absurd claim,” and he linked the criticism to Canada’s own history of defending territorial integrity, including the American invasion during the War of 1812 and the Montreal Annexation Manifesto of 1849.
“Remarkably, Canada's Prime Minister has chosen to echo this absurd claim!”
Baghaei framed the dispute as one of territorial integrity and national sovereignty, asking whether Canada “must understand the importance of territorial integrity and national sovereignty” or whether it only matters “when Canada’s own sovereignty is at stake.” Baghaei also invoked Donald Trump’s “repeated threats to turn Canada into the 51st state of the United States,” using that reference to argue Canada should not “take sides in a fabricated dispute.”
UN Charter and UN Charter
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned a joint statement by the United Arab Emirates and Canada regarding the three islands, describing the UAE’s territorial claims as “absurd” and Canada’s decision to echo them as contrary to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. Baghaei said the UAE was only established in 1971, yet it continued to lay claim to the islands “whose history of being part of IRAN stretches back many millennia before the establishment of the federation itself.”
Baghaei also criticized Canada’s endorsement as short-sighted, and he argued that endorsing another country’s territorial claims against Iran carries international responsibility for the Canadian government. Baghaei reiterated that Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb are “inseparable and eternal parts of Iranian territory,” and he said repeating “illusory and baseless claims” would not alter “established geographical, historical and legal realities.”
Historical framing and next steps
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei tied the dispute to a historical timeline, saying the islands fell under British control in 1921 and that on November 30, 1971, “a day after British forces left the region” and “just two days before the UAE was to become an official federation,” Iran’s sovereignty over the islands was restored. Iran said it has since exercised “continuous, effective and undisputed control” over the territories and formally registered ownership documents in the name of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Baghaei advised the UAE government to adhere to the principle of good neighborliness instead of “fruitlessly repeating territorial claims against a major neighboring country,” and he continued to reject foreign endorsement of competing claims. Baghaei also condemned Canada’s alignment with the UAE government in making territorial claims against Iran, describing it as “short-sighted” and as violating the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, which he said would entail “the international responsibility of the Canadian government.”