Posted on 04/13/2026 5:38:46 AM PDT by daniel1212
The islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf hold the key to the global economy's most vital chokepoint: the Strait of Hormuz..
In the current landscape of the West Asia conflict, the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb have transformed from sleepy patches of sand into what military analysts call “unsinkable aircraft carriers". While the world watches the missile exchanges between major powers, these three tiny landmasses in the Persian Gulf hold the key to the global economy’s most vital chokepoint: the Strait of Hormuz.
The story of how these islands became part of Iran is a tale of colonial exit, regional power plays, and a dispute that remains as combustible today as it was half a century ago.
The modern history of the islands began on November 30, 1971, just two days before the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was officially formed. For decades, the British Empire had maintained a protectorate over the “Trucial States" (now the UAE), including the emirates of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, which administered the islands.
As the British prepared to withdraw from the region, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, asserted a historical claim dating back to various Persian empires. Following a series of secret negotiations, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed regarding Abu Musa, allowing for joint administration between Iran and Sharjah. However, the Tunbs were a different story. Iranian forces landed on the islands on the morning of 30 November, leading to a brief but fatal skirmish with the local police of Ras Al Khaimah. By the time the UAE flag was first hoisted on December 2, 1971, Iran was already the de facto ruler of the three islands—a status it has maintained ever since.
Maybe the US can get a 20-year lease from the UAE for the use of the islands as bases and boot the trespassers out.
SoH is 21 miles wide, and international waters begin generally 12 miles off coast of Iran. Tankers going though SoH can travel in international waters. Forcing function is Iran threat (real or imagined) of mining international waters in SoH, forcing shipping lanes to shift toward/around so-called Three Tiny Islands controlled by Iran.
“How Iran Controls The Strait Of Hormuz”
Iranian speedboats, like Russian tanks, can be taken out by drones.
Old rust bucket tankers might be sailed in parallel to shield newer tankers.
To reduce the risk of collision, ships moving through the strait follow a traffic separation scheme (TSS): inbound ships use one lane, outbound ships another, each lane being two miles wide. The lanes are separated by a two-mile-wide "median".
To traverse the strait, ships pass through the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Although Iran has not ratified the UNCLOS convention, most countries, including the U.S. which also has not ratified it, claim the right of passage as codified in the convention.
In 1959, Iran altered the legal status of the strait by expanding its territorial sea to 12 nmi (22 km) and declaring it would recognize only transit by innocent passage through the newly expanded area. In 1972, Oman also expanded its territorial sea to 12 nmi (22 km) by decree. Thus, by 1972, the Strait of Hormuz was completely "closed" by the combined territorial waters of Iran and Oman. In 1971, Iran took over the Greater and Lesser Tunbs islands west of Hormuz against Arab wishes, thereby extending control of the navigation channels.
During the 1970s, neither Iran nor Oman attempted to impede the passage of warships, but in the 1980s, both countries asserted claims that were different from customary (old) law. Upon ratifying UNCLOS in 1989, Oman submitted declarations confirming its 1981 royal decree that only innocent passage is permitted through its territorial sea. The declarations further asserted that prior permission was required before foreign warships could pass through Omani territorial waters.
Upon signing the convention in 1982, Iran entered a declaration stating "that only states parties to the Law of the Sea Convention shall be entitled to benefit from the contractual rights created therein", including "the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation". In 1993, Iran enacted a comprehensive law on maritime areas, provisions of which conflict with UNCLOS provisions, including a requirement that warships, submarines, and nuclear-powered ships obtain permission before exercising innocent passage through Iran's territorial waters. The U.S. does not recognize any of the claims by Oman and Iran and has contested each of them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz
I went to Google Maps to look at all three. Abu Musa and Greater Tunb have air strips. And they are small. Seems like they’d be easy to take over.
“How Iran Controls The Strait Of Hormuz”
Iranian speedboats, like Russian tanks, can be taken out by drones.
Old rust bucket tankers might be sailed in parallel to shield newer tankers.”
I guess whichever missiles they would deploy is the other manner of ‘control’ of the strait. Along with mines which Trump said we’ll be removing. It’s not like iran controls an open and shut gate they were just only letting their buddies or those paying bribes through by not bombing them.
We’ll be taking the necessary islands soon. We’re not gonna take a pinky swear from the least reliable dicks on the planet then send our military home.
Iran does not control the Straits.
Islands. Amphibious assaults. Sounds like a job for the marines. It would bring back the nostalgia days of the South Pacific and Tripoli. It would not be a good idea to risk lives just just for historic glory.
I’d give the one island back to the UAE and let gulf countries occupy the others.
The real question is could they be occupied safely?
The short article is nothing more than a geography lesson. Disappointed.
We can certainly take the information in this article as gospel...
Snicker...
Bkmk
Nice map!
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