Iran has lodged a formal protest against the European Union after the bloc expressed support for the UAE's claim over the disputed Persian Gulf islands.
According to Iranian state media published on Sunday, Iran called for the ambassador of Hungary, which currently holds the rotating European Union presidency.
The summons was issued to protest a joint statement by the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council regarding islands controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE.
The statement published after the first summit between the two regional blocs on Wednesday, said, "We call on Iran to end its occupation of the three islands of the United Arab Emirates, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, which constitutes a violation of the sovereignty of the UAE and the principles of the Charter of the U.N."
Notably, the United Arab Emirates and Iran have been in dispute for decades over the islands situated close to the globally important shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has held control over the islands since 1971 after thrend of British imperial rule.
"The Hungarian ambassador was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry to protest against the repetition of certain baseless claims in the joint declaration from the leaders of the EU and the GCC," the official IRNA news agency reported.
The foreign ministry called the EU's stance "thoughtless, irresponsible and void of any legal basis," IRNA added.
The European Union accused Tehran of providing missiles and drones to Russia for its war against Ukraine on Monday and imposed additional sanctions on the country.
Iran appointed an ambassador to the UAE for the first time in nearly eight years as part of improving diplomatic relations with Gulf Arab states, in April 2023.
