Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently conducted military exercises in order to demonstrate their readiness to defend three disputed islands that are claimed by the UAE. The exercises were carried out off the coast of Abu Musa, which is an Iranian-controlled Gulf island, along with Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb. These islands have been a source of political tension, as the UAE and other Arab states insist that they belong to them, while Iran rejects these claims and refuses to negotiate.
Last month, Iran’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s envoy to Tehran to protest a joint statement by Russia and the GCC challenging Iran’s rights to the islands. China also took a similar step in December 2022, with President Xi Jinping signing a joint statement with the GCC supporting the UAE’s right to pursue ownership of the islands internationally. These actions led to protests from Iran’s foreign ministry.
As part of the military exercises, the IRGC deployed aircraft, ships, missiles, and vehicles to demonstrate their readiness to mobilize on the islands. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy unveiled a new ship equipped with a missile with a range of 600 kilometers, while the island itself deployed a Fath ballistic missile with a range of 120 kilometers and a Ghadir cruise missile with a range of over 300 kilometers. Images from the exercises showed a large number of security personnel, missile defense systems, and anti-aircraft weapons on the island. Drones and remote-controlled boats were also used to defend the islands, and quick-response scenarios were simulated, according to state media.
During the opening ceremony of the exercises, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy, Ali Reza Tangisili, stated that the islands in the Persian Gulf are the “honor” of Iran and that it is their responsibility to defend it. IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami reiterated Iran’s position that they, along with their Arab neighbors, are fully capable of defending regional waters without the presence of “foreigners.”
These military exercises and statements from Iran come at a time when the United States is increasing its deployment of troops and equipment to the region in response to Iran’s recent seizure of several ships. Thousands of U.S. soldiers and sailors have been sent to amphibious assault ships, landing ships, warplanes, fighter jets, and a destroyer. The Pentagon stated that this move was in response to Iran’s threat to the free flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz, which is a crucial shipping route for global oil.
In addition, Iran recently unveiled a new cruise missile called the Abu Mahdi, which has a range of over 1,000 kilometers and can potentially target U.S. aircraft carriers in the region if necessary. This missile is named after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi commander who was assassinated in a U.S. drone attack in January 2020 along with Iran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani.
These developments highlight the deepening tensions in the region and the potential for further escalation between Iran and the United States, as well as its Arab neighbors who support the UAE’s claims to the disputed islands.