evidence: The Greater Tunb, The Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa Island - 13 Jun 2024 - 1 min read Recently, Iran called in China's ambassador to lodge a protest over a joint statement made by China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding the sovereignty of the Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb islands. [...] - According to the UAE, the islands belonged to the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah until Iran allegedly seized them by force just days before the formation of the Emirati Federation in 1971 before UAE’s independence from Britain.