Seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs

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The Seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs

In late November 1971, after Britain announced it would end its protection of the Gulf territories, Iran moved to take control of three small islands in the Strait of Hormuz: the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. Iran claimed sovereignty over all three islands, while the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah claimed the Tunbs and the Emirate of Sharjah claimed Abu Musa. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) would soon form, with Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah deciding to join the new federation.

On November 29, 1971, Iranian forces seized the Tunbs. The local Ras Al Khaimah authorities and police offered weak resistance, and clashes occurred. A day later, on November 30, Iran moved to occupy Abu Musa. An arrangement known as a memorandum of understanding between Iran and Sharjah allowed Sharjah to maintain a local police presence on Abu Musa, while Iran would station troops there; both sides would share governance and oil revenues on the island. Iran then announced control over the whole area, including Abu Musa.

The seizure was carried out with relatively little resistance from the small Arab police detachments on the islands. The Tunbs had a tiny population, and fighting left several casualties on both sides.

Following these events, Sharjah joined the UAE on December 2, 1971, and Ras Al Khaimah joined on February 10, 1972, bringing the UAE into being. Because the UAE inherited the islands in the new federation, the dispute over their sovereignty passed to the UAE, while Iran maintained its control over the islands.

Since 1971, Iran has continued to hold the islands, and the UAE has pursued international avenues to assert its claim, including attempts to take the issue to international bodies. Iran has consistently maintained that the islands have always been part of Iranian territory, while the UAE argues that Arab rulers controlled them for centuries and that the UAE inherited those rights in 1971. Negotiations and international efforts to resolve the dispute have not produced a final settlement, and as of 2025 the islands remain disputed.