“The three islands are inseparable swaths of Iranian territory and any claim on them is vehemently rejected,” read a statement by Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations.

The statement came as a response to UAE Deputy Foreign Minister Khalifa Shaheen al-Marar, who told the UN General Assembly on Monday his country would continue to demand “sovereignty over the islands occupied by Iran.” He was referring to Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb, all located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian side also issued a gentle reminder to the Emirati official to apply “the accurate designation … for the waters stretching between the Arabian Peninsula and the Iranian plateau.” With extreme sensitivity, Iranian authorities have argued that based on numerous historical documents, the “Persian Gulf” is strictly uninterchangeable with the “Gulf” or the “Arab Gulf."

After the British pullout in 1971, the three islands were controlled by the Imperial Iranian Navy during the reign of the last king in the Pahlavi Dynasty, Mohammad Reza Shah, who was overthrown eight years later. Yet the Islamic Republic has relentlessly maintained the status quo in the three islands. In his speech, Marar reiterated that Iranian control was “in flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter."