DUBAI, 23 May 2005 — The United Arab Emirates and Iran, which have a dispute over three strategic Gulf islands, have each seized boats belonging to the other country, a newspaper reported yesterday, citing the Emirati Foreign Ministry.
Abu Dhabi’s Foreign Ministry, embassy in Tehran and consulate in Bandar Abbas have undertaken contacts “with relevant authorities in Iran to resolve the issue of the five sailors” detained after their fishing boat was seized, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Abdullah Rashed Al-Nuaimi told the daily Al-Khaleej.
“Iranian officials have promised to resolve the matter,” he said.
Al-Khaleej said an Emirati national and four Indian expatriates were aboard the fishing boat, which according to its Emirati owner, Mohammad Hassan Al-Qadhi, “disappeared on May 8.”
The newspaper said three Iranian boats were meanwhile seized by Emirati authorities on May 15 “after entering UAE territorial waters,” but did not make clear how many people were on board or their nationalities.
Abu Dhabi and Tehran have a longstanding row over the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, controlled by Iran after British forces left the Gulf in 1971 but claimed by the UAE.
Iran took possession of Greater and Lesser Tunbs, while the only inhabited island — Abu Musa — became subject to joint administration under a deal with Sharjah, now part of the UAE.
But since then, the UAE says, the Iranians have taken control of all access to the island, installed an airport and military base there, as well as encouraged settlers to move in to change its demographic make-up.
The three islands lie roughly half-way between the Iranian port of Bandar-e-Langeh and Dubai in the UAE.
