Territorial issues relating to the Persian Gulf Islands (Abu Musa and the Tunbs)

This file concerns the disputed Abu Musa and Tunb Islands (which are held by Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah respectively but claimed by Iran) and attempts to reach a settlement on this dispute before the imminent British military withdrawal from the Gulf. It contains correspondence relating to:

• Discussions on the disputed islands between British officials and the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah Sheikh Saqr Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and other Iranian dignitaries
• The prospect of Ras Al Khaimah inviting an Arab task force to occupy the Tunb Islands
• Iran’s opposition to the implementation of a union of Gulf States before the dispute is settled and the difficulties this creates in reaching a settlement for the region's future
• A simultaneous dispute concerning an oil concession, involving Umm Al Quwain, Buttes Gas and Oil Company and Occidental Petroleum Corporation
• Contingency defence plans in case of an Iranian or Arab guerrilla attempt to occupy the islands
• Secret proposals on possible courses of action by the Personal Representative of the Foreign Secretary Sir W H T Luce, including purchasing or leasing the islands from the Sheikhdoms and passing them on to Iran, co-opting other countries to bring pressure to bear on Iran and abandoning the negotiations entirely
• Possible compromise solutions, including joint occupation and ‘blurring sovereignty’
• The role and recommendations of the Sharjah-based American lawyer Northcutt Ely
• Iran’s fear that the islands will one day fall to a Soviet Union- or Chinese-backed revolutionary regime
• The Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi’s eventual agreement to negotiate with Iran regarding Abu Musa, undermined by Iran’s refusal to negotiate the status of what it considers its territory
• Sightings of Iranian ships near the Tunb Islands
• The prospect of the dispute being raised at the UN and the problems this would create for Iran
• The position of the United Arab Republic
• A hand-drawn map of Greater Tunb
• The precedent of Kamaran island off Yemen
• A request from Sharjah for access to the Foreign Office archive, in order to make a historical case for possession of Abu Musa
• Tehran's protests against a BBC broadcast on the dispute.