Siege of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Siege of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs
partof=


caption=Map of the Strait of Hormuz
date= 30 November 1971
place= Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs in the Persian Gulf
casus=Dispute over the Islands between Iran and the Emirate of Sharjah
territory=Iran takes over Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs
result=Decisive Iranian Victory
combatant1=flag|Iran|1964
combatant2=flag|Sharjah|name=Emirate of Sharjah
combatant3=
commander1=flagicon|Iran|1964 Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
commander2=flagicon|Sharjah Sheikh Khalid III ibn Muhammad al-Qasimi
commander3=
strength1=
strength2=
strength3=
casualties1=4 KIA
1 WIA
casualties2=None
casualties3=
notes=

The Siege of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs occurred on 30 November 1971 when Iranian marines laid siege to the islands Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb. There was a territorial dispute over the islands between the Emirate of Sharjah and Iran. The Emirate of Sharjah was a protectorate of the United Kingdom. However, after the British left Sharjah, Iran laid siege to the islands with military force.

Causes

The island of Abu Musa had been a part of Iran from antiquity until the early 20th century [ [http://www.geocities.com/abu_musa_town/ Private website about Abu Musa] ] . The Tunbs were in the dominions of the kings of Hormuz from 1330 until 1507 when they were invaded by Portugal. The Portuguese occupied the island until 1622, when they were expelled by Shah Abbas. In the early 20th century the islands were occupied by the British Empire on 7 June, 1921, and they were put under administration of the Emirate of Sharjah. In 1971, shortly before the end of the British protectorate and the formation of the UAE, Iran seized semi-control of Abu Musa under an agreement of joint administration together with Sharjah. A day later on 30 November 1971, Iran seized the Islands and took control over them.

The Siege

On 30 November 1971 the Iranian Navy seized the islands. There was only resistance from a small Arab police force. Iranians where instructed not to open fire, an order they followed. The only shots fired were from the Arab police, which killed 4 Iranian marines and injured one.

Aftermath

In the following decades, the issue remained a source of friction between the Arab states and Iran. Negotiations between the UAE and Iran in 1992 failed. The UAE have attempted to bring the dispute before the International Court of Justice, [Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (HIIK) [http://www.hiik.de/konfliktbarometer/pdf/Konfliktbarometer_2001.pdf] ] but Iran refused. Tehran says the islands always belonged to it as it had never renounced possession of the islands, and that they are part of Iranian territory. [Safa Haeri, [http://www.iran-press-service.com/articles/iran_uae_saudi.html] ] The United Arab Emirates argue that the islands were under the control of Qasimi sheikhs throughout the 19th century, whose rights were then inherited by the UAE after 1971. Iran counters by stating that the local Qasimi rulers during a crucial part of the 19th century were actually based on the Iranian, not the Arab, coast, and had thus become Persian subjects. [Schofield: 35-37.] In 1980, the UAE took its claim to the United Nations. [http://www.american.edu/TED/abumusa.htm Article about Abu Musa in the Trade & Environment Database of the American University, Massachusetts] ] In 1992, Iran increased its control by expelling foreign workers. One of Saddam Hussein's goals of his eight year Iran–Iraq War was to capture the Islands from Iran; he didn't succeed.

ee also

*Abu Musa
*Greater and Lesser Tunbs

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7AW0IMTShg&eurl=http://www.irandefence.net/showthread.php?p=409560#post409560 A historical propaganda video production about Iranian Imperial Army with actual photage of the Iranian Navy in the Abu Musa and Tunbs islands]
* [http://img.imageloop.com/slideshow/050134fc-7d8e-1827-878d-0015c5fcf7da/content/97b517d8-bf13-19d5-8611-0015c5fcf7da_1207478159568,rh750/IMG_3201.jpgPicture of announcement made to the local residents of Tunb Island about the return of islands to Iranian terittory in Arabic and Persian signed by King of Iran]