Is UAE instigating a US seizure of long disputed Gulf islands?
Why it matters: The UAE's push for a military seizure of the disputed islands could escalate the ongoing Gulf war and directly impact control of the Strait of Hormuz.
- The UAE has adopted a confrontational strategy against Iran, advocating for a multinational military effort to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been under Iran’s de facto control since early last month.
- Iran captured Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs islands on November 30, 1971, just before the UAE declared independence, and has maintained control, asserting they are sovereign Iranian territory.
- The UAE, supported by other Arab states, contends that the three islands rightfully belong to the Emirates of Ras Al-Khaimah and Sharjah, viewing Iran's hold as a national humiliation.
- Iran's military presence on these islands, consolidated since 1992, makes them strategic linchpins in controlling the Strait of Hormuz, described as "stationary and unsinkable aircraft carriers" for their role in channeling shipping lanes and vulnerability to strikes.
- China and Russia's calls for a diplomatic settlement to the territorial dispute have reportedly made Iran irate, highlighting the sensitivity of the issue for Iranian officials regarding territorial integrity.
Amidst the ongoing Iran war, the United Arab Emirates is pushing for a multinational military intervention to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a significant shift from its previous détente with Tehran. This confrontational stance has reignited the decades-old dispute over three strategically vital Persian Gulf islands—Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs—which Iran seized in 1971 and considers sovereign territory, while the UAE and other Arab states maintain they rightfully belong to the Emirates.
