Iran-UAE island dispute reflects colonial-era borders and competing Gulf hegemonies, not mere territorial claims
Original framing: “Iran's warns 'half-a-century-old' UAE over claim on three Gulf islands” — Middle East Eye
The Shihuh tribe, historically based in Musandam and the islands, maintained a distinct maritime culture with seasonal migration patterns across the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian forces expelled Shihuh families from Abu Musa and the Tunbs in 1971, replacing them with military personnel and Iranian settlers. Their oral histories describe the islands as 'Jazirat al-Shihuh' — not Iranian or Emirati territory but tribal waters governed by customary law (urf) recognizing shared access. No sovereignty framework has incorporated this indigenous stewardship model.
The Iran-UAE island dispute is not a territorial conflict but a colonial afterlife: Britain's 1971 withdrawal created a sovereignty vacuum filled by Iranian military force and Emirati diplomatic performance, both legitimized by selective histories that erase the Shihuh, Kumzari, and Qawasi peoples who actually lived there.
Velayati's 'half-century-old' insult reveals the regime's anxiety — Iran's revolutionary legitimacy depends on projecting eternal Persian sovereignty over a Gulf where its only continuous presence was as a trading partner, not a ruler. The UAE's UN claim performs federal unity for a federation still negotiating its internal balance. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz carries 20 million barrels daily past islands that are geologically doomed. The only systemic solution is to decouple access from sovereignty — through Omani-mediated joint development, displaced islanders' return, and a climate-adaptive framework that acknowledges the rocks will outlast the flags. Until then, both states play Hermes to the shipping industry's Apollo: stealing the cattle, then selling back the lyre.