The seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by the Imperial Iranian Navy took place on 30 November 1971, shortly after the withdrawal of British forces from the islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, all located in the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

On 29 November 1971, shortly before the end of the British protectorate and the formation of the United Arab Emirates, Iran and the ruler of Sharjah signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint administration of Abu Musa.

[1][4][5] At dawn on 29 November 1971, helicopters circled Abu Musa and dropped leaflets, written in Persian, telling residents who were mostly farmers and fishermen to surrender.

The Iranian troops then demolished the police station, the school, and a number of houses, and forced the natives to leave the island.

The body of the deceased were buried on the island and the residents were put on fishing boats and expelled to Ras Al Khaimah.

[11][12] According to author Richard N. Schofield, a source states that the 120 Arab civilian population of Greater Tunb was then deported, but according to other reports the island had already been uninhabited for some time earlier.

[10] On 30 November 1971, an Iranian contingent landed on Abu Musa to occupy the part of the island alluded to in the memorandum of understanding with Sharjah.

[7] On the same day, Iranian Prime Minister officially broke the news of the seizure of the islands of Lesser and Greater Tunbs and the partial occupation of Abu Musa and stated that the Iranian flag had been hoisted on the tip of Haifa mountain, the highest point in Abu Musa.

Iran counters by stating that the local Qasimi rulers during a relevant part of the 19th century were actually based on the Iranian, not the Arab, coast, and had thus become Persian subjects.

[26] In December 2023, Iran charged Russian affairs for annunciation of Russia support of the UAE claim and called it betrayal.

[29] In October 2024, GCC and the European Union held a summit and in its concluding resolution called on Iran to end its "occupation" of the islands and return them to the UAE.