Iran Warns UAE: Military Action on Disputed Islands Could Trigger Strong Retaliation
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Location of Abu Musa Island — Iran warns the UAE not to allow attacks[Google Maps capture = provided by Yonhap News][Google Maps capture = provided by Yonhap News]
As U.S. forces move additional troops to the Middle East and discussions arise about possibly deploying ground forces to the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s military has issued a stark warning to the United Arab Emirates not to allow attacks on islands at the center of Gulf sovereignty disputes.
On the 21st, local time, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Operations Command as saying Tehran would respond forcefully if an invasion targeted Abu Musa and Greater Tunb — islands claimed by the UAE but under Iranian control.
The spokesperson specifically named the northern UAE emirate of Ras Al Khaimah as a potential target for Iranian retaliation if strikes against those islands originated from UAE territory.
While Iran exercises effective control over the islands, Ras Al Khaimah has long asserted sovereignty. The islands sit at the gateway from the Persian Gulf into the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran views those islands as strategic linchpins — even likening them to an “aircraft carrier” it could use to choke the Strait of Hormuz. If the United States and Israel were to seize them, Iran’s ability to impose a maritime blockade would be seriously degraded.
Maritime traffic in the area has been disrupted since Feb. 28, when U.S. and Israeli strikes escalated hostilities with Iran.
President Donald Trump said a day earlier that he was considering a “gradual drawdown” of military operations against Iran.
Despite Trump’s comments, Reuters and other outlets reported that the administration has recently increased troop levels in the Middle East to prepare for a possible ground-force deployment.
Those deployments have led analysts to warn the United States could move to place ground forces in or near the Strait of Hormuz.
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Lee Ji-yoon (easyun@yna.co.kr)
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