evidence: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the small island of Abu Musa near the Strait of Hormuz on in mid-April sparked a furious response from the United Arab Emirates, which disputes Tehran's claim to sovereignty over the island. [...] The row is the latest flare-up in a long-standing territorial dispute between Iran and the UAE over the islands of Abu Musa and the nearby Greater and Lesser Tunbs. [...] However, the UAE, which won its independence in 1971, claims sovereignty over the islands, too. Prior to Iran taking control of them, the islands were administered by shaykhdoms which later became part of the UAE. A 1971 agreement between Iran and the shaykhdom of Sharjah provided for the two sides to administer different parts of Abu Musa while leaving the issue of sovereignty open.