marines and injured one. In his book Territorial foundations of the Gulf states, Schofield states that according to some sources, the Arab civilian population of Greater Tunb of about 120 was then deported to Ras Al Khaimah, but according to other sources the island had already been uninhabited for some time. Present situation In the following decades, the issue remained a source of friction between the Arab states and Iran. The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf repeatedly declared support for the UAE claims. Bilateral talks between the UAE and Iran in 1992 failed. The UAE have attempted to bring the dispute before the International Court of Justice, but Iran refuses to do so. Tehran says the islands always belonged to it as it had never renounced possession of the islands, and that they are an integral part of Iranian territory. The emirate of Ras al-Khaimah argue that the islands were under the control of Qasimi sheikhs, a branch of which administered the port of Bandar Lengeh for the Persian government from ca. 1789 to 1887, and UAE as the successor to the tribal patrimony of the tribe, may inherit their rights. Iran counters by stating that the local Qasimi rulers during a crucial part of the previous centuries were actually based on the Iranian, not the Arab, coast, and had thus has been Persian subjects. The UAE refers to the islands as "occupied". Currently, these two islands are among the territories under the control and government of Iran, and the Iranian government has established naval military bases on these islands to control the Strait of Hormuz. See also Abu Musa Bandar Lengeh Hormozgān Notes References Haghshenas, Seyyed Ali, Iran Historical Sovereignty over the Tunbs and BuMusa Islands. Published in 2010, Tehran, Iran. Disputed islands Disputed territories in the Persian Gulf Islands of Iran Islands of the Persian Gulf Territorial disputes of Iran Territorial disputes of the United Arab Emirates Hormozgan Province Iran–United Arab Emirates relations