Iran VS UAE

After an unexpected visit by the Iranian president to a set of island both countries claims as part of their territories, the United Arab Emirates decided to recall its ambassador to Iran in protest.
The UAE regards the visit as a gross violation to its sovereignty and rejects Iran claims that these Islands belongs to her.

The 3 small Island in contention are Abu Musa,  the Greater and Lesser tunbs. They are strategically located in the trait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes. If Iran were to make good on its threat of shutting down the trait of Hormuz, it would have to do so on the back of these 3 Islands.

In 1971, after the British pulled their forces out of the region, Iran quickly invaded these Islands and took control of them as its own. The UAE, which at the time were under the control of the British Empire, believed that as the British granted them their Independence, it also relinquished the Islands to them.


The GCC, an alliance of Arab countries in the Gulf, which the UAE is also a member of, have strongly condemned the Iranian president visit and fully backs the Emirates claims to these Islands.
Iran, on its part, put oil into the fire when one of its military general, Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, basically threatened military action if the UAE were to ever dare try to  take control of these Islands.


These disputes are the manifestation of a cold war between Iran which is mostly Shiite-led, against its Sunni rival, Saudi Arabia. In Syria, Iran fully backs Bashar Al-Assad fight against a Sunni-led rebellion while Saudi Arabia backs the rebels.
If Bashar Al-Assad loses his fight against the rebels, Saudi will gain immensely since it would allowed them to kick Iran's influence out of the region. The Iranians are doing as much as they can to keep the Assad regime in power by making sure its army never run out of bullets to shoot at the protesters in Syria.