Three small islands sit near the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz. Abu Musa belongs to the emirate of Sharjah. Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb belonged to Ras al-Khaimah. In November 1971, two days before the British protectorate over the Trucial States expired and three days before the United Arab Emirates came into formal existence as an independent nation, Iranian forces occupied all three. Greater Tunb was taken by force, killing several Ras al-Khaimah police officers who attempted to resist. Abu Musa was occupied under a memorandum of understanding with Sharjah that Iran has since interpreted in ways that effectively amount to full occupation. The UAE has never accepted any of this. The dispute is over fifty years old and shows no sign of resolution.