IRAN: Conflict with Arabs over islands heats up

Arab leaders at last weekend's summit in Damascus voiced claims over three disputed Persian Gulf Islands that both Iran and the United Arab Emirates consider part of their property. Iran was predictably outraged by the claim.

Khatami_2 Though it was a minor footnote to an Arab League Summit marred by nearly a dozen no-shows and a murky outcome, it remains a sore spot for Iranians, who took the matter up with the United Nations.

The decades-old islands dispute also became fodder for the main Friday prayer sermon in Tehran today.

"The final declaration of the Arab Summit showed they have been entrapped by the U.S.," prayer leader Ahmad Khatami told worshippers. "Three islands in the Persian Gulf forever belong to Iran and the Persian Gulf remains Persian for good, and nobody can deny it."

Khatami is a conservative not to be confused with the reformist former president Mohammad Khatami.

Below are some other highlights from today's sermon.

On recent parliamentary elections:

I sincerely thank our people, our elites in seminaries, members of academia, and all legal political factions and parties. Thank God the election was held with unprecedentedly high turn out. Sixty percent turnout is higher than the average turnout in parliamentary election, which is around 40% of those eligible. So in Iran it was 20% higher than the global average

On freedom of speech:

Anyone in Europe who dares to question the Holocaust or opposes Israel is put in jail or sacked from their job. Therefore there is no freedom of speech.

On the Dutch short film, "Fitna":

Any anti-Islamic film or cartoons have been counterproductive for the anti-Islamist groups, because the Holy Koran has been most-selling book in the world and increasing numbers of Europeans are converting to Islam.

— Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran and Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photo: Ahmad Khatami. Credit: Hassan Ammar / AFP/Getty Images