Three strategically vital islands at the mouth of the Persian Gulf have once again become a focal point in the escalating US military campaign against Iran.
Abu Musa, along with Greater and Lesser Tunb, were seized by Iran in 1971 from what would later become the United Arab Emirates. These rocky outposts now serve as a critical Iranian garrison, enabling Tehran to exert considerable influence over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas transits during peacetime.
