سياستهاي استعماري بريتانيا در خليج فارس و واگذاري جزاير ايراني به قاسمي هاي شارجه

British Colonial Policies in the Persian Gulf: The Surrender of the Iranian Islands to the Ghasemids ofSharjah

In 1903, the Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, Abu Mousa and Syri were annexed by Britain which, subsequently, granted the Ghasemids the authority to govern them-one of the consequences of British colonial policies in the Persian Gulf region. In 1963, however, the Syri Island was returned to Iran. Similarly, in 1971. the three remaining islands were reinstated. In every research project on the temporary annexation of the islands and their surrender to the Ghasemids, one fundamental question arises: Why did Britain deeide to annex the islands and relinquish their control over to the Ghasemids at the outset of the 20th century? Tn answering this question. one must consider the colonial power rivalries in the 19th century Iran, particularly between Britain and Russia. Our objective is to demonstrate that regional and global developments in the former years of the 19l11 century propelled Iran into the realm of international politics. For more than a century, the Iranian foreign policy concentrated primarily on the British-Russian rivalry within the framework of the theory of positive balance. It meant that neither of the two powers could accept the political and economic superiority of the other in their relations with Iran. For example, the supremacy of the Russian influence in the latter part of the 19lh century created obstacles for traditional British interests, jeopardizing [he security of India as well as the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf This disconcerting development generated the impetus for Britain to embark lipan the bold strategy of creating its own exclusive sphere of influence in the Persian Gulf, thus explaining why Britain annexed and subsequently surrendered the Iranian islands to the Ghasemids-the Arabs with whom it had earlier signed protectorate contracts.