— With the statement by the UAE representative at the United Nations regarding the three major Iranian islands, in which he said:

“Greater Tunb Island, Lesser Tunb Island, and Abu Musa Island in the Gulf are islands belonging to the United Arab Emirates and are under Iranian occupation. We categorically reject the continued Iranian occupation of these three islands.”

The timing is significant. The UAE raised the issue of the three islands at the United Nations at the same time that Netanyahu was meeting Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, with Israeli reporting indicating that Iran was a major topic of their discussions. This does not, by itself, confirm that the Netanyahu-MBZ meeting was specifically about the three islands, but it does raise the possibility that the territorial dispute, Iran’s position in its Gulf, and the strategic control of the Strait of Hormuz were among the issues being discussed.

The combination of Netanyahu’s visit, the reported Iran-focused discussions, and the UAE’s renewed public emphasis on Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa makes the islands issue particularly important to watch. It could indicate that the territorial dispute is being brought into a wider regional security discussion involving Iran, the Gulf, Israel, and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

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