With little sign of momentum in peace talks between the US and Iran, attention has returned to three small islands that are crucial to controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
Lying at the mouth of the Gulf chokepoint, the islands — Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb — have been held by Iran since 1971, but are claimed by the UAE.
They have come under US fire over the past week. “If external powers look for ways to reshape security in the Strait of Hormuz, these islands are an obvious focal point — with relatively limited diplomatic cost given the ambiguity around sovereignty,” writes H.A. Hellyer, a fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute.