Iran strongly ** Russia's recent statements on the issue of the disputed islands at a meeting of a number of Arab countries. The problem stems from three disputed islands located in the Persian Gulf, namely Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb. According to Iran, the islands are completely part of Iranian territory and have no relationship with the Sunni country of the UAE. Britain had colonized the islands and wanted to hand over the three islands to the UAE after pushing for the UAE's formation. However, Iran is categorically opposed and considers the three islands its own territory. Although for some time the islands were willing to be shared with certain emirates in the UAE, since the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Iran's position on the three islands has completely changed, and it has been fully incorporated into its own territory. At the same time, the UAE insists that the three islands belong to itself, and the dispute with Iran remains unresolved. Since the three islands are located in the Persian Gulf region, not far from the Strait of Hormuz, if the islands are declared, the corresponding EEZ will also belong to Iran, which will provide more assistance to Iran's energy development in the Persian Gulf region.
The most recent problem is that Russia has expressed an ambiguous attitude towards the issue of the disputed islands at certain Arab meetings, expressing its support for a negotiated settlement of the issue. However, such a statement made Iran very unhappy. Iran believes that since the three islands are currently under Iran's de facto control, it will never have any ambiguous position on this issue. Despite Iran's dissatisfaction with Russia's statements, Russia also knows that it would be of great help to Russia if a reconciliation could be reached on this issue due to tensions between Sunnis and Shiites. Therefore, Russia may believe that Iran's ** is only a momentary breath.
The dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the three disputed islands appears to be fighting for a small piece of land, but in reality, the dispute is focused on the geographical location of the islands. The three islands are located in the Persian Gulf region, close to the Strait of Hormuz, and the inclusion of these islands in their own territory would mean the acquisition of a larger territorial sea, an adjacent zone and an exclusive economic zone. For energy-dependent countries, mastering more EEZs would have a huge impact on the country's economy and security. Therefore, whether it is Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries, they all attach great importance to this region and want to ensure that they can obtain more energy resources. This is also the fundamental reason why Iran and the UAE have been unable to resolve the dispute over the three islands.
Why is Russia expressing an ambiguous attitude on this issue?The reason for this may be that Russia does not want to offend the Sunni country of the UAE, and wants to maintain a balance between Sunnis and Shiites, and to enable the two sides to shake hands and make peace. However, Russia may have forgotten that since the three islands are currently under the de facto control of Iran, Iran will not have any compromising position on this issue. While Iran has made a fuzzy stance on Russia, Russia is also aware that since this is the case, such statements are not really meaningful, especially if relations between Sunnis and Shiites can be improved, which will bring greater benefits to Russia.
Iran has expressed strong support for Russia's ambiguous statements on the disputed islands. The three islands are extremely important to both Iran and the United Arab Emirates, and their geographical location determines the degree of control over the energy resources of the Persian Gulf. Despite Russia's desire to maintain a balance between Sunnis and Shiites, Russia may have underestimated Iran's resolute position on this issue. Both Iran and the UAE will continue to insist on sovereignty over the three islands, a dispute that will be difficult to resolve in the short term. The international community should actively participate in promoting the settlement of disputes through dialogue and consultation in order to maintain stability and peace in the Persian Gulf region.