A territorial dispute dating back more than half a century has surged back into the international spotlight, as the United Arab Emirates renews its long-standing claim to three strategically vital islands in the Persian Gulf currently controlled by Iran.
Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs lie near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and a quarter of its liquefied natural gas pass. Iran's Imperial Navy seized the islands on 30 November 1971, just two days before the formal establishment of the UAE, after the withdrawal of British forces. Sharjah had administered Abu Musa and Ras al-Khaimah the two Tunbs; both emirates acceded to the new federation, leaving the UAE to inherit the dispute.
Source: UAE Washington Embassy web page
The competing claims remain irreconcilable. Iran insists the islands are an "inseparable" part of its territory, citing historical possession and a 1971 memorandum of understanding with Sharjah, and refuses to discuss sovereignty. The UAE describes the islands as occupied Emirati land and has repeatedly called for resolution through direct negotiations or the International Court of Justice — an offer Tehran has consistently rejected. An Emirati attempt to bring the case to the ICJ failed when Iran declined to participate.
The standoff has acquired fresh urgency amid the wider Gulf conflict that erupted in early 2026. Analysts now describe the islands as strategic linchpins in the struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, with some calling them "stationary and unsinkable aircraft carriers" integrated into Iran's coastal missile and drone networks. Reports have raised the prospect of a US-backed effort to wrest the islands from Iranian control, though experts widely caution that any such operation would be enormously costly and risk being read in Tehran as an existential challenge to Iranian sovereignty.
Since Iranian attacks began in late February, the UAE says its air defenses have engaged hundreds of ballistic missiles, more than a dozen cruise missiles and over 2,000 drones, while stressing that it has not escalated and continues to pursue diplomacy.
International support for a peaceful settlement has grown. A 2025 EU–GCC summit and statements from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council have backed bilateral talks or ICJ arbitration. Iran has reacted angrily, summoning ambassadors and condemning what it views as interference in its territorial integrity.
More than five decades on, the islands remain disputed — small in size but outsized in the strategic and symbolic stakes they carry for both nations and for the global energy economy that flows past their shores.
Main Photo: Wanaen