The Revolutionary Guards qualify it .. Iranians are calling for an acceleration of settlement in the Gulf islands

Al-Jazeera Net-Tehran

Revolutionary Guards Commander of the Navy, Admiral Ali Reza Tungsiri, revealed for the first time his country's intention to implement a settlement project in a number of islands in the Gulf waters.

Tungsiri stressed that orders to resettle the population on these islands were issued by the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, adding in a press statement that an international airport has been established on the Greater Tunb Island, and another airport on the Lesser Tunb Island, as well as the construction and development of 50 breakwater on the coasts of these islands Which he described as strategic.

Iranian circles believe that the decision to rehabilitate these islands is a step in the right direction, even if it comes late, at a time when others called for speeding up its pace to ensure security and stability in it, and blocking the foreign military presence near it.

The islands of Tunb Al-Kubra, Tanab Al-Soghra and Abu Musa Island are disputed over their ownership with the Emirates, as the latter demands Iran to return them, while Tehran asserts that its ownership of the islands is "non-negotiable."

Economic importance
Despite the small size of the three islands, their strategic and economic importance is very great, and they are the cause of conflict over them. They are located in a sensitive area of ​​Gulf waters near the safe passages for marine navigation.

Professor of political science at Tehran University, Muhammad Murandi, believes that the rehabilitation of the border areas is one of the most important factors in ensuring security and stability in it, and his country's decision is considered an impenetrable dam to the influence of its enemies in the Gulf waters, and he expressed his wish if the decision came years ago.

In a statement to Al-Jazeera Net, he made clear that Khamenei's decision had been issued some time ago, and that his announcement coincided with the recent American moves in the Gulf waters confirming Tehran's intention to move forward in the policy of ensuring the security of regional waters and the absence of any foreign forces in them.

Referring to the American military presence in the waters of the region, Marandi added that, unlike the foreign presence, the rehabilitation of these islands comes within the framework of Iran's policy to establish security in the region, which confirms the falsehood of the American coalition claim to protect maritime navigation because there is no security for this region except in the hands of its residents.

For his part, strategic importance for the researcher, Mahdi Shakibai, a researcher in Iranian political affairs, believes that the Iranian islands in the Gulf waters enjoy strategic importance at the military, security and economic levels, stressing that his country relies heavily on Gulf waters to export its oil abroad, which raises the importance of these islands for Tehran.

Shakibai told Al-Jazeera Net that the Iranian islands in the 41 Gulf waters play a vital role in ensuring the security of the region, especially the Strait of Hormuz and Iran in general, adding that about 20 of them are still empty of residents, considering that Qeshm and Kish are a successful model for providing Infrastructure for resettlement in all Iranian islands.

He pointed out that the American military presence has destabilized the security of the Gulf region in recent years, and stressed that his country has the right to invest all its energies to reduce foreign absurdity in the region, especially the rehabilitation of its islands to be suitable for resettlement of the population in them.

Shakibai said that the Iranian decision to rehabilitate the islands for resettlement includes a large number of them in the Gulf waters, ruling that the Iranian decision would be met by an Arab opposition, especially since Tehran has not created industrial islands along the lines of some of its southern neighbors, but rather these islands and has the right to rehabilitate them.

Foreign interference
and the Iranian researcher refused to be disputed by these islands, adding that Iran extends a hand of friendship to all its southern neighbors for 40 years, and stresses the necessity of its participation in bringing security and stability to the region to cut off the foreign interference.

He concluded by saying that this decision would enhance the security of the region, especially the security of the Arab countries bordering the southern shores of the Gulf waters, and therefore "will reflect positively on regional stability", denying the possibility of some Arab countries opposing this decision.

Observers in Iran believe that some of these islands oversee the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 40% of the world’s oil production passes daily, and by virtue of its geographical location it is suitable for military use, making it an appropriate center for military control of ships crossing the strait.

In economic terms, these islands are replete with some important natural resources such as petroleum, red iron oxide, iron sulfate and sulfur.