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Abu Musa

Coordinates: 25°52′N 55°02′E / 25.867°N 55.033°E / 25.867; 55.033
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This article is about an island in the Persian Gulf. For other uses, see Abu Musa (disambiguation).
Abu Musa Island
Map
Geography
LocationPersian Gulf
Coordinates25°52′N 55°02′E / 25.867°N 55.033°E / 25.867; 55.033
Area12 km2 (4.6 sq mi)
Administration
Demographics
Population2,131

Abu Musa (Template:Lang-fa) is a 12.8 km² Iranian island in the eastern Persian Gulf, which is part of Hormozgan province. It is part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.[1] Due to the depth of sea, oil tankers and big ships, have to pass between Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs; this makes these islands one of the most strategic points in the Persian Gulf.

Name

The inhabitants of Abu Musa (or Bumusa) call it "Gap-sabzu" (Template:Lang-fa), which in Persian means "the great green place." On old maps, the island is called:

But in recent century it is also called Bum Musa, Persian for "the land of Musa/Moses" instead of "Boum-Sou".[3]

Population

As of 2012, the island had about 2,131 inhabitants, making it Iran's smallest county.[4] The city of Abu Musa had 1,953 inhabitants in 2012, up 248 from 2006.[5]

Most of residents of the island speak "Bandari dialect" of Persian.

Position

Abu Musa island is 75 km from Bandar Lengeh and 16 km from Strait of Hormuz. It is the farthest island (out of 14 islands of Hormozgan) from the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf. It's 46 m above the sea. The highest place is the 110-meter Halva mountain. Abu Musa city is the center of the island. The weather in Abu Musa is warm and humid, although, compared to the place in the Persian Gulf, Abu Musa has a better climate and the most diverse ecosystem, but it lacks suitable soil and water for farming leaving fishing as the main industry for locals. It is one of the main ports for exporting oil from Iran.

The memorandum of understanding

  • Ruler of Sharjah asks British Foreign Secretary for Iranian acceptance of the MOU.
    Ruler of Sharjah asks British Foreign Secretary for Iranian acceptance of the MOU.
  • The Memorandum of Understanding as attached to the letter of 18 November 1971 from the Ruler of Sharjah to the British Foreign Secretary.
    The Memorandum of Understanding as attached to the letter of 18 November 1971 from the Ruler of Sharjah to the British Foreign Secretary.
  • Official map of Abu Musa island attached to the Memorandum of Understanding of November 1971.
    Official map of Abu Musa island attached to the Memorandum of Understanding of November 1971.
  • Letter of 24 November 1971 from British Foreign Secretary to the Iranian Minister of foreign Affairs asking for Iranian acceptance of MOU.
    Letter of 24 November 1971 from British Foreign Secretary to the Iranian Minister of foreign Affairs asking for Iranian acceptance of MOU.
  • Letter of 25 November 1971 from Iranian Foreign Minister to the British Foreign Secretary concerning Iran’s acceptance of the MOU.
    Letter of 25 November 1971 from Iranian Foreign Minister to the British Foreign Secretary concerning Iran’s acceptance of the MOU.
  • Letter of 25 November 1971 from the Iranian Foreign Minister to the British Foreign Secretary spelling out Iran’s conditions and warnings relevant to Iran’s acceptance of the MOU.
    Letter of 25 November 1971 from the Iranian Foreign Minister to the British Foreign Secretary spelling out Iran’s conditions and warnings relevant to Iran’s acceptance of the MOU.
  • Letter of 26 November 1971 from British Foreign Secretary to the Iranian Foreign Minister informing him that Iran’s conditions and warnings had been conveyed to the Ruler of Sharjah. (It was agreed that an absence of reply from the Ruler of Sharjah to this letter would amount to his acceptance of Iran’s conditions and warnings.)[6]
    Letter of 26 November 1971 from British Foreign Secretary to the Iranian Foreign Minister informing him that Iran’s conditions and warnings had been conveyed to the Ruler of Sharjah. (It was agreed that an absence of reply from the Ruler of Sharjah to this letter would amount to his acceptance of Iran’s conditions and warnings.)[6]

Sovereignty

Abu Musa and other islands in Iran and Turan Map by Adolf Stieler
A map from 1891 showing Abu Musa. Two dotted lines show telegraph cables.
Sheik Saghar welcoming Iranian troops to Abu Musa while visiting Iran's Artmis Navy Ship-1971

The sovereignty of Iran on Abu Musa has been disputed by UAE.[7] [8] [9] The dispute between Iran and UAE started in 1974, three years after the latter's establishment. The island had been under Persian control until the early 20th century.[10] In 1906, Iran awarded a concession for the iron oxide deposits of Abu Musa to Wonckhaus, a German enterprise. However, the concession was canceled in 1907 because of British opposition, resulting in an international incident.[11] After 1908, the UK controlled the island along with the other British-held islands in the Persian Gulf, including what is today the UAE. In the late 1960s, Britain transferred administration of the island to the British-appointed Sharjah, one of the seven sheikdoms that would later form the UAE.

After Britain announced in 1968 that it would end its administrative and military positions in the Persian Gulf, Iran moved to reattach the island politically to the mainland. On November 30, 1971 (two days before the official establishment of UAE), Iran and Sharjah signed a Memorandum of Understanding. They agreed to allow Sharjah to have a local police station and Iran to station troops on the island according to the map attached to the Memorandum of Understanding.[10] The agreement also divided the island's energy resources between the two signatories. "By agreeing to the pact, the tiny emirate prevented an invasion by Iran, which two days earlier had taken two other disputed islands, Greater and Lesser Tunb, which were even smaller and uninhabited." [12]

One day before the UK officially left the region, Iran stationed its troops on the island and was officially welcomed by the Sheik of Sharjah's brother; Sheik Saghar.[13]

In 1971, the UAE took its claim to the United Nations, But it was rejected by the UN security council, and the issue was closed.[10] In the same year, Saddam Hussein attempted to justify the Iran-Iraq War by claiming that one of the objectives was to "liberate" Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs in Persian Gulf. In 1992, Iran expelled foreign workers who operated the UAE-sponsored school, medical clinic, and power-generating station.[14] The Island dispute has also caused serious friction between the UAE Ras Khaimah and Sharjah. Since Ras Khaimah advocates tough measures against Iran. Dubai, on the other hand, believes that the conflict is unnecessary. Indeed, the present ruler of Dubai, Shaykh Muhammad, has stated publicly that "he believes the tensions over the islands have been fabricated by the United States".[15]

In 2012 a visit to the island by Iranian president Ahmedinejad provoked a diplomatic incident.[16] Iran's historical claim[17] to ownership over the islands roots back to the Parthian and Sassanid Empires, among others. Iran considers the island to have been occupied by the UK and refers to the agreement between Iran and emirate of Sharjah at 1971.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Iranian Islands of Tunbs and Abu Musa
  2. ^ Documents on the Persian Gulf's name: the eternal heritage of ancient time Author:Ajam, Muḥammad.
  3. ^ عجم، مجمد. «اسناد نام خلیج فارس میراثی کهن و جاودان». تهران: اوين، ۱۳۸۸
  4. ^ World Gazetteer
  5. ^ World Gazetteer
  6. ^ Mojtahedzadeh, Pirouz (July, 1995). THE ISLANDS OF TUNB AND Abu Musa. UNIVERSITY OF LONDON. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ ""Abu Musa and The Tumbs: The Dispute That Won't Go Away, Part Two," July 28, 2001, in The Estimate, vol. XIII, no. 3". Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-06. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ ""Iran, its territorial integrity in the Persian gulf region," 20 December 2007". Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-06. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) [dead link‍]
  9. ^ ""Unwanted Guest: The Gulf Summit and Iran," 7 December 2007". Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  10. ^ a b c d Mojtahedzadeh, Pirouz (1993). Countries and boundaries in the geopolitical region of the Persian Gulf (in Persian). The Institute for Political and International Studies. OCLC 651081387.
  11. ^ Issawi, Charles (2007). "16". In Peter Avery; et al. (eds.). The Cambridge History of Iran. Volume 7 (Third ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 605. ISBN 978-0-521-20095-0. {{cite book}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |editor= (help)
  12. ^ Erdbrink, Thomas (April 30, 2012). "A Tiny Island Is Where Iran Makes a Stand". New York Times.
  13. ^ Mojtahedzadeh, Pirouz (1999). Security and territoriality in the Persian Gulf. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 214. ISBN 0-7007-1098-1.
  14. ^ GlobalSecurity.org about Abu Musa
  15. ^ Rubin, Barry M. (2002). Crises in the Contemporary Persian Gulf. Routledge. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0714652679, 9780714652672. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  16. ^ Ahmadinejad's visit to island prompts UAE to recall Iran ambassador, CNN April 12, 2012
  17. ^ [1]
  • . الكوخردى ، محمد ، بن يوسف، (كُوخِرد حَاضِرَة اِسلامِيةَ عَلي ضِفافِ نَهر مِهران) الطبعة الثالثة ،دبى: سنة 199۷ للميلاد Mohammed Kookherdi (1997) Kookherd, an Islamic civil at Mehran river, third edition: Dubai
  • . کامله،القاسمی، بنت شیخ عبدالله، (تاریخ لنجة) مکتبة دبي للتوزیع، الامارات: الطبعة الثانية عام ۱۹۹۳ للمیلاد
  • . الوحیدی الخنجی، حسین بن علی بن احمد، «تاریخ لنجه» ، الطبعة الثانية دبی: دار الأمة للنشر والتوزیع، ۱۹۸۸ للمیلاد
  • . اطلس گیتاشناسی استان‌های ایران [Atlas Gitashenasi Ostanhai Iran] (Gitashenasi Province Atlas of Iran)

Sources

Further reading

  • Schofield, Richard (2003). Unfinished Business: Iran, the Uae, Abu Musa and the Tunbs. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs. ISBN 0-905031-90-3.

25°52′N 55°02′E / 25.867°N 55.033°E / 25.867; 55.033

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