TEHRAN - The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Swiss Ambassador Livia Leu Agosti on Friday to protest about the recent remarks by a U.S. official about the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.
 
Iran and the United States do not have diplomatic relations, and the Swiss Embassy in Tehran hosts the U.S. Interests Section in Iran.
 
U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday that the United States supported “a peaceful resolution” over the three islands and backed the UAE call for the issue to be resolved through talks or at the International Court of Justice, according to AFP.
 
“The United States appreciates the UAE’s efforts in this regard and urges Iran to respond positively to the UAE’s initiative to resolve the issue through direct negotiations,” Toner said in a statement.
 
“Actions such as the April 11 visit by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to the Abu Musa Island only complicate efforts to settle the issue,” he stated.
 
The UAE claimed on April 11 that the visit had been “a flagrant violation of the United Arab Emirates’ sovereignty over its territory and a transgression of efforts to find a peaceful settlement to end Iranian occupation of the three UAE islands.”

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official, during his meeting with the Swiss ambassador, said that the comments made by the U.S. official illustrate “interference in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s internal affairs” and called on the U.S. government to provide an explanation in this regard.
 
The Iranian official stated that the three islands are “inseparable” parts of Iran’s territory, adding that President Ahmadinejad’s visit to the island was part of his regular tour of the country’s provinces.
 
The Swiss ambassador said that she would convey Iran’s protest to U.S. officials.
 
The UAE has repeatedly questioned Iran’s sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs and urged Tehran to agree to take the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague or engage in direct negotiations.
 
Iran says its sovereignty over the islands is not negotiable but has called for talks with the UAE to clear up misunderstandings.