Iran's warns 'half-a-century-old' UAE over claim on three Gulf islands

Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, has warned the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against challenging Tehran and its sovereignty over three islands in the Persian Gulf.

In a post on his X account, Velayati dismissed recent claims made by the UAE at the United Nations General Assembly regarding sovereignty over Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, saying the three islands will remain Iranian forever, according to IRNA.

"A country whose political life does not reach half a century makes claims from the UN podium about islands that have been recorded under Iran's name in historical documents and maps of past centuries," Velayati said in the Farsi-language post.

He added that the UAE should not "rely on foreign powers" for its security and should instead pursue good relations with its neighbours, IRNA reported.

"The neighbour stays, and the guest goes… Regional experience has shown that imported security has an expiration date," said the former Iranian foreign minister.