Editing Abu Musa (section)

== History ==
[[File:Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs in Iran and Turan Map by Adolf Stieler map 1891.JPG|thumb|Abu Musa and other islands in the Persian gulf in a map by [[Adolf Stieler]]]]

The sovereignty of Iran on Abu Musa has been disputed by [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]], which inherited a dispute since 1971.<ref name="estimate">{{cite news |url=http://www.theestimate.com/public/072401.html |title=Abu Musa and The Tumbs: The Dispute That Won't Go Away, Part Two |date=24 July 2001 |work=The Estimate |volume=XIII |issue=13 |access-date=6 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215021736/http://www.theestimate.com/public/072401.html |archive-date=15 December 2007 |url-status=unfit}}</ref><ref name="wi">{{cite web |last=Henderson |first=Simon |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/unwanted-guest-gulf-summit-and-iran |title=Unwanted Guest: The Gulf Summit and Iran |date=7 December 2007 |access-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123084614/https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/unwanted-guest-gulf-summit-and-iran |archive-date=23 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> By common consent, the island had been under the control of the [[Al-Qasimi]] ruler of Sharjah.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ahmadi |first=Kourosh |title=Islands and International Politics in the Persian Gulf: The Abu Musa and Tunbs in Strategic Context |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-45933-4 |page=54}}</ref><ref name=pgpm /> In 1906 [[Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi|Salim bin Sultan]], the uncle of Sharjah's ruler [[Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi|Saqr bin Khalid]], awarded a concession for iron oxide deposits discovery in the island to three Arabs, whose workers extracted the mineral and agreed to sell it to Wonckhaus, a German enterprise. However, Saqr bin Khalid discovered and disagreed with the act, so he cancelled the grant. The workers were then removed from the island with assistance from the British, resulting in an international incident.<ref>{{cite book |last=Issawi |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Issawi |chapter=European Economic Penetration, 1872–1921 |editor1-last=Avery |editor1-first=Peter |editor-link1=Peter Avery |editor2-last=Hambly |editor2-first=Gavin |editor3-last=Melville |editor3-first=Charles |editor-link3=Charles P. Melville |title=[[The Cambridge History of Iran]] |year=1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-20095-0 |page=605}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000833.0x000035 |title=Red oxide on Abu Musa, 1898-1934 |last=Laithwaite |first=John Gilbert |author-link=Gilbert Laithwaite |year=1934 |department=British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers |agency= |id=IOR/L/PS/18/B433 |via=[[Qatar Digital Library]]}}</ref>

After 1908, the [[UK]] controlled the island along with the other British-held islands in the Persian Gulf, including what is today the UAE. In the late 1960s, the UK transferred administration of the island to the British-appointed [[Sharjah (emirate)|Sharjah]], one of the seven sheikdoms that would later form the UAE.

After the UK announced in 1968 that it would end its administrative and military positions in the Persian Gulf, [[Iran]] moved to reattach the island politically to the mainland. On 30 November 1971 (two days before the official establishment of UAE), Iran and Sharjah signed a [[Memorandum of Understanding]]. They agreed to allow Sharjah to have a local police station and Iran to station troops on the island according to the map attached to the Memorandum of Understanding.<ref name="pgpm">{{cite book
| last      = Mojtahedzadeh
| first     = Pirouz
| title     = Countries and boundaries in the geopolitical region of the Persian Gulf
| year      = 1993
| publisher = The Institute for Political and International Studies
| oclc      = 651081387
| language  = fa
}}</ref> The agreement also divided the island's energy resources between the two signatories. "By agreeing to the pact, the tiny emirate prevented an invasion by Iran, which two days earlier had taken two other disputed islands, the [[Greater and Lesser Tunbs]], which were even smaller and uninhabited."<ref name="NYT2012">{{cite news
| title     = A Tiny Island Is Where Iran Makes a Stand
| first     = Thomas
| last     = Erdbrink
| newspaper     = The New York Times
| date     = 30 April 2012
| url     = https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/world/middleeast/dispute-over-island-of-abu-musa-unites-iran.html
| access-date     = 26 February 2017
| archive-url     = https://web.archive.org/web/20170505153853/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/world/middleeast/dispute-over-island-of-abu-musa-unites-iran.html
| archive-date     = 5 May 2017
| url-status     = live
}}</ref>

[[File:sheikSaghar.jpg|left|thumb|Sheikh Saqer welcoming Iranian troops of Iran's destroyer [[Iranian destroyer Artemiz (DDG-5)|''Artemiz'']] in Abu Musa, 1971]]

===Iranian takeover===
On 30 November 1971, a day before the UK officially left the region, [[Seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs|Iran moved troops onto the island]] and were officially welcomed by the [[Sheikh|Sheik]] of Sharjah's brother, [[Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi|Sheik Saqer]].<ref name="pgpm3">{{cite book
| last      = Mojtahedzadeh
| first     = Pirouz
| title     = Security and territoriality in the Persian Gulf
| year      = 1999
| publisher = RoutledgeCurzon
| location  = London
| isbn      = 0-7007-1098-1
| page      = 214
}}</ref>

===UAE claim===
The UAE took its sovereignty claim over Abu Musa and the two Tunb islands to a meeting of the [[United Nations Security Council]] of 9 December 1971. At that meeting, it was decided to "defer consideration of this matter to a later date".<ref>{{cite book
| last      = Mattair
| first     = Thomas
| title     = The Three Occupied Islands of the UAE: The Tunbs and Abu Musa.
| year      = 2005
| publisher = Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
| location  = Abu Dhabi
| isbn      = 9948-00-765-4
}}</ref><ref name="United Nations 1971">{{cite journal
| last    = United Nations
| title    = Twenty-sixth Year, Supplement for October, November and December 1971
| journal    = Official Records of the Security Council
| year    = 1971
| url    = http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AUN_DOC_S_PV_1610_Security_Council_official_records%2C_26th_year%2C_1610th_meeting%2C_9_December_1971.djvu
| access-date    = 13 March 2013
| archive-url    = https://web.archive.org/web/20140220221825/http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AUN_DOC_S_PV_1610_Security_Council_official_records%2C_26th_year%2C_1610th_meeting%2C_9_December_1971.djvu
| archive-date    = 20 February 2014
| url-status    = live
}}</ref> Iraq ([[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]] era),<ref>{{cite book
 |last         = United Nations Security Council
 |title        = Letter dated 72/07/17 from the representatives of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Libyan Arab Republic, Morocco, Oman, the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Sudan, The Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen to the President of the Security Council
 |year         = 1972
 |publisher    = United Nations Supplement, Official Record
 |location     = New York
 |id           = UNDOC:S/10740
 |url          = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/UN_Doc_S_10740_-_Letter_Dated_17_July_1972_from_the_Permanent_Representatives_of_Algeria_Bahrain_Egypt_Iraq_Kuwait_Lebanon_Libya_Morocco_Oman_Sudan_Syria_Tunisia_United_Arab_Emirates_Yemen.pdf
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140609074929/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/UN_Doc_S_10740_-_Letter_Dated_17_July_1972_from_the_Permanent_Representatives_of_Algeria_Bahrain_Egypt_Iraq_Kuwait_Lebanon_Libya_Morocco_Oman_Sudan_Syria_Tunisia_United_Arab_Emirates_Yemen.pdf
 |archive-date = 9 June 2014
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> Kuwait,<ref>{{cite book
 |last         = United Nations Security Council
 |title        = Letter dated 92/09/14 from the Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
 |year         = 1992
 |publisher    = United Nations Annexes, Official Record
 |location     = New York
 |id           = UNDOC: A/47/441
 |url          = http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALetter_dated_1994_July_7_from_the_Permanent_Representative_of_Kuwait_to_the_United_Nations_addressed_to_the_President_of_the_Security_Council.djvu
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140220221823/http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALetter_dated_1994_July_7_from_the_Permanent_Representative_of_Kuwait_to_the_United_Nations_addressed_to_the_President_of_the_Security_Council.djvu
 |archive-date = 20 February 2014
 |url-status = dead
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref> Algeria,<ref name="UNDOC409">{{cite book
 |last         = United Nations Security Council
 |title        = Letter dated 71/12/03 from the representatives of Algeria, Iraq, the Libyan Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen to the President of the Security Council
 |year         = 1971
 |publisher    = United Nations Supplement, Official Record
 |location     = New York
 |id           = UNDOC:S/10409
 |url          = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/UN_DOC_S_10409_-_Letter_Dated_3_December_1971_from_the_Permanent_Representatives_of_Algeria_Iraq_Libya_And_Peoples_Democratic_Republic_of_Yemen.JPG
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140609074934/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/UN_DOC_S_10409_-_Letter_Dated_3_December_1971_from_the_Permanent_Representatives_of_Algeria_Iraq_Libya_And_Peoples_Democratic_Republic_of_Yemen.JPG
 |archive-date = 9 June 2014
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> [[South Yemen]]<ref name="UNDOC409" /> and [[Libya]]<ref name="UNDOC409" /> held the view that the territory rightfully belongs to the UAE.<ref>{{cite book
 |last         = United Nations Security Council
 |title        = Letter dated 94/12/22 from the Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
 |date         = December 1994
 |publisher    = United Nations Annexes, Official Record
 |location     = New York
 |id           = UNDOC: A/49/815
 |url          = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/UN_DOC_A_49_814_Letter_dated_1994_December_22_from_the_Permanent_Representative_of_Bahrain_to_the_United_Nations_addressed_to_the_Secretary-General.pdf
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140609074930/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/UN_DOC_A_49_814_Letter_dated_1994_December_22_from_the_Permanent_Representative_of_Bahrain_to_the_United_Nations_addressed_to_the_Secretary-General.pdf
 |archive-date = 9 June 2014
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last         = United Nations Security Council
 |title        = Letter dated 93/10/13 from the representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly
 |year         = 1993
 |publisher    = United Nations Annexes, Official Record
 |location     = New York
 |id           = UNDOC: A/48/519
 |url          = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/UN_DOC_A_48_519_Letter_dated_13_October_1993_from_Saudi_Arabia_to_the_UN_page1.JPG
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140609074931/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/UN_DOC_A_48_519_Letter_dated_13_October_1993_from_Saudi_Arabia_to_the_UN_page1.JPG
 |archive-date = 9 June 2014
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last         = United Nations Security Council
 |title        = Letter dated 94/09/20 from the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
 |date         = September 1994
 |publisher    = United Nations Annexes, Official Record
 |location     = New York
 |id           = UN DOC: A/49/412 S/1994/1078
 |url          = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/UN_DOC_A_49_412_S_1994_1078_Letter_dated_20_September_1994_from_Saudi_Arabia_to_the_UN.pdf
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140609074932/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/UN_DOC_A_49_412_S_1994_1078_Letter_dated_20_September_1994_from_Saudi_Arabia_to_the_UN.pdf
 |archive-date = 9 June 2014
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last         = United Nations Security Council
 |title        = Letter dated 95/06/21 from the Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
 |date         = June 1995
 |publisher    = United Nations Annexes, Official Record
 |location     = New York
 |url          = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/UN_DOC_A_50_255_S_1995_504_Letter_dated_21_June_1995_from_Bahrain_to_the_United_Nations.pdf
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140609074925/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/UN_DOC_A_50_255_S_1995_504_Letter_dated_21_June_1995_from_Bahrain_to_the_United_Nations.pdf
 |archive-date = 9 June 2014
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last         = United Nations Security Council
 |title        = Letter dated 92/10/06 from the Permanent Representative of Oman to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly
 |date         = October 1992
 |publisher    = United Nations Annexes, Official Record
 |location     = New York
 |id           = UNDOC: A/47/516
 |url          = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/UN_DOC_A_47_516_Letter_dated_1992_October_6_from_the_Permanent_Representative_of_Oman_to_the_United_Nations_addressed_to_the_President_of_the_General_Assembly..pdf
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140609074927/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/UN_DOC_A_47_516_Letter_dated_1992_October_6_from_the_Permanent_Representative_of_Oman_to_the_United_Nations_addressed_to_the_President_of_the_General_Assembly..pdf
 |archive-date = 9 June 2014
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> Since that time, the UAE has consistently called in public statements<ref name="United Nations 1971" /><ref>{{cite journal
 |last         = United Nations
 |title        = Letter dated 16 September 1997 from the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
 |journal      = United Nations General Assembly
 |date         = 17 September 1997
 |volume       = 52nd Session
 |series       = Oceans and the Law of the Sea
 |url          = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/UN_DOC_A_52_361_Letter_dated_1997_September_16_from_the_Permanent_Representative_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates_to_the_United_Nations_addressed_to_the_Secretary-General..pdf
 |access-date  = 13 March 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140609074926/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/UN_DOC_A_52_361_Letter_dated_1997_September_16_from_the_Permanent_Representative_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates_to_the_United_Nations_addressed_to_the_Secretary-General..pdf
 |archive-date = 9 June 2014
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> for either bilateral negotiations or by referring the issue to the International Court of Justice (or another form of international arbitration).<ref>{{cite book
| last      = Mattair
| first     = Thomas
| title     = The Three Occupied Islands of the UAE: The Tunbs and Abu Musa.
| year      = 2005
| publisher = Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
| location  = Abu Dhabi
| isbn      = 9948-00-765-4
| pages     = 165–166
}}</ref>

Saddam Hussein attempted to justify the [[Iran–Iraq War]] by claiming that one of the objectives was to "liberate" Abu Musa and the Tunbs in the [[Persian Gulf]]. In 1992, Iran expelled "foreign" workers who operated the UAE-sponsored school, medical clinic, and power-generating station.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/abu-musa.htm |title=Abu Musa Island – Iran Special Weapons Facilities
| first   = John
| last   = Pike
| website   = globalsecurity.org
| access-date   = 31 July 2006
| archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20101226021747/http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/abu-musa.htm
| archive-date   = 26 December 2010
| url-status   = live
}}</ref> The dispute has also caused serious friction between [[Ras al-Khaimah]] and Sharjah on the one hand and some other emirates of the UAE on the other. Ras Al Khaimah advocates tough measures against Iran. Dubai, on the other hand, believes that the conflict is unnecessary. The present ruler of Dubai (who is also Vice President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the UAE), [[Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum]], has earlier stated publicly that "he believes the tensions over the islands have been fabricated by the United States".<ref name=Rubin>{{cite book
| last      = Rubin
| first     = Barry M.
| title     = Crises in the Contemporary Persian Gulf
| year      = 2002
| publisher = Routledge
| isbn      = 978-0-7146-5267-2
| pages     = 44–45
}}</ref>

In 2012 a visit to the island by Iranian president Ahmedinejad provoked a diplomatic incident.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/12/world/meast/uae-iran-ambassador-recall/
| title = Ahmadinejad's visit to island prompts UAE to recall Iran ambassador
| work = CNN
| date = 12 April 2012
| access-date = 12 April 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120412175353/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/12/world/meast/uae-iran-ambassador-recall/
| archive-date = 12 April 2012
| url-status = live
}}</ref> Iran's historical claim to ownership over the islands roots back to the [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] and [[Sasanian Empire]]s, among others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://namak.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120711215142/http://namak.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=9001141115|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 July 2012|title=Fars Library|access-date=19 April 2012}}</ref> Iran considers the island to have been occupied by the UK and refers to the agreement between Iran and the emirate of Sharjah in 1971.<ref name="pgpm" />