UAE Pushes US-Led Strike to Reclaim Gulf Islands from Iran
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- The UAE has positioned itself as the Arab state most closely aligned with the Trump administration against Tehran during an Iran war now in its second month, absorbing thousands of Iranian drones and hundreds of missiles while grappling with severe economic disruptions.
- Iran captured Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs on November 30, 1971 — two days before the UAE declared independence — and has held them since, integrating them into its IRGC deterrence network of coastal missiles, naval swarm tactics, drones, and electronic warfare.
- The UAE advocates a multinational military effort to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, under Iran's de facto control since early last month, arguing that seizing the disputed islands is essential to breaking Iran's blockade.
- Iran has warned that any military operation against Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, Hengam, Qeshm, Larak, or Hormuz would trigger retaliation against the UAE surpassing the attacks launched since February 28.
- Andreas Krieg of King's College London warned that securing the islands would require capturing Iran's entire 950-mile Persian Gulf coastline plus 20 miles inland, a feat demanding hundreds of thousands of troops, and flagged the risk of a Trump 'U-turn within forty-eight hours.'
- Ghoncheh Tazmini cautioned that Iran would interpret any seizure as 'an existential challenge to state sovereignty,' not a limited tactical operation, making the dispute inseparable from broader regional security and energy flows.
- The UAE's advocacy is likely more signaling than action, aimed at proving to Trump and anti-Iran hawks that Abu Dhabi stands out among Arab states backing the American-Israeli effort and deserves to be remembered as America's 'best friend' in the GCC.
Why it matters: The UAE is staking credibility with Washington on a military objective experts call unfeasible: seizing islands Iran considers sovereign would require capturing a 950-mile coastline and hundreds of thousands of troops, while Tehran has promised retaliation surpassing its February 28 attacks. Krieg suggests Abu Dhabi's real play is positioning itself as Trump's 'best friend' in the GCC once the war ends.
