Iran begins strategic military exercises near disputed Abu Musa island amid ongoing tensions with UAE

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) has begun military exercises around the disputed Abu Musa Island in the Persian Gulf, a territory contested with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for over 50 years.

The naval war simulation began in the presence of high-ranking IRGCN officials, including Major General Husein Salamí and Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri.

According to the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, the exercises are dubbed ‘Martyr Eshaq Dara’ and aim to demonstrate the IRGCN’s defense readiness and authority in protecting the security of the Persian Gulf and Iranian islands.

During the drill, the Iranian Navy will carry out various exercises involving operational combat units, ships, missiles, drones, and electronic warfare.

The exercises are being conducted around the 12.8-square-kilometer Abu Musa Island and near two other islands, Greater and Lesser Tonb, located at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.

These islands are considered strategic for navigation in the Persian Gulf, and while UAE claims them, Iran has occupied them since 1971.

Last July, Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, stated that Iran would not negotiate with the UAE regarding the dispute over these three strategic islands in the Persian Gulf, calling for respect for Iran’s “red lines” concerning its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This statement responded to a call for a negotiated solution to the island dispute made by foreign ministers from Russia and Iran’s neighboring Arab countries, including the UAE.

The dispute over the islands adds to several others between Iran and its Arab neighbors in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), such as over the Al Dorra oil field exploration and resources, contested between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on one side, and Iran on the other.

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