Tehran isn't getting the message

Iran seems to be getting it wrong again. When it comes to the issue of the three occupied islands, Iran's position is neither acceptable nor comprehensible. The three islands are Emirati and Iran should know that they will return to the UAE "sooner or later", Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan told members of the Federal National Council on Tuesday.

The Iranian occupation of the islands has a negative impact on relations between the two countries, he added.

Iran yesterday protested the statement. Tehran has got the whole thing wrong.

Shaikh Abdullah's remarks could be the most transparent made about the island issue to date. And they were not meant to spark tension with Iran. Instead, they are a message the UAE government hoped the officials in Tehran would get.

It is a message meant to tell Iran that the UAE is very keen on strong relations with our Muslim neighbour. But the relations cannot come at the expense of the sovereignty of the country.

Shaikh Abdullah spoke of the UAE's repeated attempts to have the issue resolved peacefully. However, Iran has yet to respond positively to these gestures.

Tuesday's statement is another reminder to the Iran-ian leadership that this issue is a major obstacle to strengthening Iran's ties with the UAE, and other Arab countries.

There are only two ways to resolve the issue: through bilateral talks that would guarantee the UAE's rights to its occupied land, or through international adjudication.

The onus is on Iran to respond. However, Tehran still denies there is a problem in the first place and this in itself is a problem. Denying the problem doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. There is a problem, which is the occupation of three of our islands. And this problem hinders any development in relations. This is the message.