The Caspian Post:

By Tural Heybatov

The Middle East hardly needs another flashpoint, yet one more familiar conflict is quietly heating up - this time between Iran and the United Arab Emirates. What might appear to be a dispute over three small islands in the Persian Gulf is, in reality, a collision of historical memories, national pride, and clashing regional strategies. And once again, the rhetoric emerging from Tehran shows just how raw and unresolved some of these old issues remain.

Earlier this week, Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader on international affairs, issued a forceful message accusing the UAE of making “baseless colonial claims” to the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. His statement, published by Mehr and widely shared across Iranian media, went far beyond routine diplomatic posturing. It was an indictment of the UAE’s foreign policy, its role in regional conflicts, and, implicitly, its strategic alignment with the United States.

Velayati questioned the UAE’s involvement in Yemen, suggested that Abu Dhabi is pursuing maritime expansion on behalf of Washington, accused it of occupying Socotra, and even implied that the UAE is helping fragment Sudan. His warning that Iran’s “patience is not unlimited” was clearly intended to elevate the stakes.

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