Leader's aide warns PGCC not to play with Iran's redlines

Ali Shamkhani described the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council’s repeated claims over Iran’s three islands in the Persian Gulf and the Arash gas field as nonconstructive, saying neighboring states should contribute to security rather than play with the red lines of the Iranian nation.

In a post on his X account, Shamkhani wrote that the PGCC’s claims regarding Iranian islands and the Arash field are nonconstructive. "During the 12-day war, Iran exercised restraint despite certain support for aggression," he stressed.

"Iran’s power in the Persian Gulf should not be misread; the role of neighbors is to build security, not play with the red lines of the Iranian people,” he stressed.

The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) has once again repeated its worn-out allegations against Iran’s three islands and the Arash gas field in a statement issued at the conclusion of its 46th summit held on Wednesday night in Bahrain.

In its final communiqué, the council reiterated its usual claims, asserting that it maintains its fixed position and previous resolutions condemning what it claimed to be the continued occupation of the three Emirati islands by Iran.

Interfering in Iran’s territorial sovereignty, the PGCC further alleged that the UAE has sovereignty over the islands, their territorial waters, airspace, and exclusive economic zone, describing them as an integral part of Emirati territory.

In another part of the statement, the PGCC asserted that the Arash (Al-Durra) gas field lies entirely within Kuwaiti waters and claimed that the ownership of natural resources in the shared neutral zone, including the Al-Durra (Arash) field, belongs exclusively to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, who it said are the only parties entitled to exploit its resources.

The three Persian Gulf islands have historically been part of Iran, the proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. The UAE, however, has repeatedly laid claim to the islands.

The islands fell under British control in 1921, but 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./mehr