Al Jazeera reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned "interventionist" statements by the UAE and Canada regarding three Iranian-controlled islands in the Persian Gulf, reiterating that Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb are "an eternal and inseparable part of Iranian territory." This followed a joint statement by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UAE President Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who called for an end to the "occupation" of these islands, stating it violates UAE sovereignty and the principles of the UN Charter.