UAE–Iran Island Dispute: Abu Musa and the Tunbs

Introduction

This paper examines the longstanding territorial disputes between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran over three islands in the Persian Gulf. The first dispute concerns the island of Abu Musa, which is claimed by Sharjah. The other two involve Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, both of which are claimed by Ras al-Khaimah. All three are presently recognized by the international community as Iranian territory. The issue dates back to the formation of the UAE. The former colonial power, the United Kingdom, transferred the islands to Iran in 1971, ostensibly in exchange for Iran dropping its claim to Bahrain. This paper examines the dispute between the UAE and Iran over these islands in its historical context and in terms of its modern manifestations.

Historical Context

The dispute over the status of Abu Musa predates the formation of the UAE. The island was under British control for most of the twentieth century. Abu Musa sits in the middle of the Persian Gulf, not adjacent to either Iran or Sharjah, and never had a significant population prior to recent decades. The island became strategically important for two reasons: first, there are likely abundant oil reserves in its vicinity; and second, the major shipping lane for oil tankers out of the Persian Gulf passes through a channel between Abu Musa and the Tunbs. For these reasons, the dispute over the status of these islands has remained unresolved.

In 1968, the UK announced its intention to withdraw from the Persian Gulf, effectively leaving the area in the hands of the various emirs. At that point, Sharjah had de facto control over Abu Musa. Upon this announcement, Iran made claims on different Gulf territories — most particularly Bahrain, which has a Shia majority living under Sunni rule. In 1969, Iran dropped its claim to Bahrain. In 1971, with the British departure imminent, Sharjah and Iran reached an agreement allowing Iran to station military forces on Abu Musa and for the two parties to split oil-field revenues. Iran stationed military forces on Abu Musa per this agreement but then also moved forces onto the Tunbs, causing an uproar among Arab nations (American.edu, no date). Those islands, though unpopulated, were claimed as territory of Ras al-Khaimah. In 1971, Sharjah joined the other emirates to form the independent United Arab Emirates. Ras al-Khaimah joined in 1972, the last of the seven emirates to do so.

A complicating factor is that the UK was never officially a colonial power in the region. It was a "protecting power," not the colonial owner of the lands in question (Kaikobad, no date). As such, the UK never held title to the islands; it negotiated with Iran and Sharjah but never had the legal authority to transfer the islands to Iran. Sharjah negotiated the deal, but there appears to have been no discernible benefit to Sharjah in the arrangement, which lends credence to the claim — maintained to this day — that Sharjah signed under a form of duress. The Tunbs were part of the deal the UK made with Iran; Iran simply seized them without formal agreement.

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