Page 405 - The Arabian Gulf States_Neat

MONOGRAPH THREE !
■
:
On the early morning of 30 November 1971, Iran landed troops on
the three strategically important islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb
and Lesser Tunb1 ’2’ which lie at the entrance of the Gulf opposite the
Strait of Hormuz. In the case of Abu Musa, which was under the
control of the Emirate of Sharjah, Iranian occupation was made in
pursuance of an agreement made between the Government of Iran
and the Ruler of Sharjah. Regarding the two islands of Tunb, which
were under the control of Ras al-Khaimah, Iran resorted to their
occupation by means of a military action which caused a number of
fatal casualties suffered by members of Ras al-Khaimah local police
in the islands, as well as by the attacking force. The Iranian
Government was reported to have made its forcible landings on the
islands after failing to negotiate a peaceful arrangement with the
Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah on the transfer of the islands to Iran3. The
forcible occupation of the islands of Tunb by Iran, just two days
before the formal proclamation of the new State of the United Arab
Emirates,4 was, generally, condemned by all the Arab countries as
an act of aggression against Arab territories. To the Arab countries
of the Gulf, the Iranian military landings on the islands presented a
hostile and a provocative act that caused great damage to the goals
of peace and stability in the Gulf area. Iran’s forcible occupation of
the islands was also regretted by some other countries friendly to
Iran5.
I
The Issue Before the United Nations
On 3 December 1971, four Arab States, (Algeria, Iraq, Libya and
Southern Yemen) requested the Security Council to consider, on an 1
urgent basis, the question of the occupation of the three islands by
the armed forces of Iran on 30 November. The Security Council
discussed the situation on 9 December.6 It invited the Arab i
Members who requested the meeting, as well as the U. A.E., Kuwait

1. See this book on the problem of islands, pp. 303-305, above.
2. The word "Tunb” represents the Arabic pronunciation of the islands. The
Iranian pronunciation of the islands is "Tamb”.
3. Keesing's Contemporary Archives, 1971-72, p. 25010 A.
4. The UAE was proclaimed on 2 December 1971. See 2nd Introduction, p.xxvi.
5. Keesing’s op. cit; Arab Report & Record, (1971), p. 622.
6. United Nations, Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the
Organisation, 16 June 1971 - 15 June 1972, (Official Records, 27th Session) p.
76.