Iran's state television reports that the country's foreign minister is criticising man-made islands in the Persian Gulf as an environmental hazard. The report on Monday comes as the United Arab Emirates disputes Iran's ownership of three natural islands at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Forty percent of the world's oil supply passes through the waterway.

The UAE built three islands in the Gulf to accommodate Dubai's expanding housing and entertainment districts. The Iranian report quotes Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki saying man-made islands could slow water circulation in the Gulf and ultimately lower its depths. Mottaki did not single out any country for the islands but urged better planning for their construction.

Copyright Associated Press, 2010