چکیده:
In the aftermath of the visit of the Iranian President to the Island of Abu Musa on 11 April 2012 and the uproar that followed، a fresh look at the issue is warranted. The concern of this paper is not to discuss the three Islands of Abu Musa and the Tunbs، but to briefly review the context which gave rise to the issue of the three islands in the first place and influenced its development to date. The paper tries to place the current controversy surrounding the three islands in its historic perspective، explaining how it grew out of antagonism that marked the relationship between the prevailing global power، Great Britain، and the major regional power، Iran، for 170 years. It aims to address the general policy of Britain during its presence in the Persian Gulf، which aimed in part to control all islands of this waterway. It explains how for 170 years، Britain tried to erode Iranian influence in the Persian Gulf، both directly by asserting its colonial rule over Iranian islands and port districts، and indirectly by claiming Iranian islands for its protégés on the Arab littoral. It shows that this tactic applied to almost all other Iranian islands in one way or another and was not limited to the three islands of Abu Musa and the Tunbs.
خلاصه ماشینی:
A report written by Rear- Admiral Bosanquet, attached to an Admiralty letter dated 21 March 1902, states that "Kishm is, in my opinion, the most strategical position in the Persian Gulf, from a naval point of view, and its possession would be very important to us as a port for our mercantile marine and a coaling station for our ships of war" (Cambridge Archive Editions, 1987: Vol. IV, 73).
The British leaned towards the idea that "[c]areful examination of the available evidence suggests that the claims of Muscat [to the island] are substantial", but finally they found it "impracticable for His Majesty’s Government, in view of their persistent recognition of Persian sovereignty over the last 60 years, to take any action at this stage to challenge the position of Persia" (Cambridge Archive Editions, 1987: Vol. I, 110).
A report sent from the Governorate of Persian Gulf ports, dated 17 Azar 1302 (8 December 1924), to the Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized "the political and military importance of Hengam" and noted that, "While the British had only received permission from the Persian Government for constructing a telegraph office, they turned the island into a support base for their military operations in Mesopotamia where they frequently sent warships at the beginning of the World War I, and established a water and coaling station and stationed a number of soldiers on the island.