The oil-rich UAE, supported by other Arab states, has repeatedly proposed resolving the dispute through direct negotiations or international arbitration, but Iran has always refused.
"If they want to have a negotiation about the occupied islands, this has been our demand for decades," the emirati official said, referring to Hosseini's remark that the issue can be resolved in bilateral talks.
Tehran gained control of the three islands after British troops left the Gulf in 1971.
I thought there is no harm in talking to enemies? It's almost like they are afraid. Or maybe they just lack nuanced thinking capabilities.
