Iran flexes its muscles over disputed islands with UAE

Iran's state television channel reported today that the country's Revolutionary Guards have established a new naval base to reinforce their authority over the disputed islands in the Strait of Hormuz.

The three islands, Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, which dominate the approach to the strait - a key waterway through which about one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes - have been at the centre of a long-standing dispute between the UAE and Iran.

The islands are recognised internationally as being sovereign UAE land.

The television report said the base, which is located near Bandar-e Lengeh, around 1,100 kilometers south of Tehran, is the fifth that has been established by the guards in the Gulf.

newsdesk@thenational.ae