Abu Musa and the Tunbs

Britain leaves the Gulf

Britain had controlled Bahrain and three smaller Gulf islands since the 19th century, and Iran claimed them all. When Britain decided to withdraw from the Gulf by 1971 and help form the federation that became the UAE, the question had to be settled. In 1970 the shah gave up Iran’s claim to Bahrain but kept pressing for Abu Musa, held by the sheikh of Sharjah, and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, held by the sheikh of Ras al-Khaimah.^[3] The UAE side says the islands had been ruled by the Qasimi family, rulers of Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah, for more than 250 years.^[5]

The two cases ended differently. The shah secured Abu Musa by agreeing to pay Sharjah a yearly subsidy, and took the two Tunbs by force as Britain withdrew.^[3] On the nights of 30 November and 1 December 1971 Iranian troops landed on the islands, overwhelming the small Ras al-Khaimah police unit on Greater Tunb. Sharjah’s ruler, under heavy British pressure, signed a memorandum with Iran to share Abu Musa without giving up sovereignty.^[5] Under that agreement both flags would fly over the island and future oil there was provided for.^[4]

Two days before the UAE

The landings came two days before the United Arab Emirates was founded on 2 December 1971, and the UAE first raised the matter at the UN Security Council on 9 December.^[1] Iraq broke off diplomatic relations with Iran over the seizure.^[3]

Two positions

The UAE calls the islands occupied and offers two ways out: direct negotiations, or the International Court of Justice. In October 2026 the president’s diplomatic adviser, Anwar Gargash, said the UAE would keep asserting its rights, and the UAE says Iran has refused to discuss sovereignty over any of the islands.^[1]

Iran says the islands are an inseparable part of its territory and that it does not recognise that a dispute exists, though it has offered bilateral talks to clear up “misunderstandings”.^[2][6] In 2004 its foreign ministry said only Abu Musa could be discussed, under the 1971 memorandum, and that the islands “belong to Iran and will undoubtedly remain so”.^[7]

Allies take sides

When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Abu Musa on 11 April 2012, the Gulf Cooperation Council called it a provocation, the Arab Group at the UN protested, and the US State Department urged Iran to accept direct talks or the ICJ. Iranian MPs called the visit an internal affair.^[5] In May 2025 the Arab League’s summit in Baghdad again backed the UAE’s claim; Iran’s foreign ministry called that a breach of international law.^[6]