The Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb are located in Hormozgan Province, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Situated in the southernmost province of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hormozgan Province is centered around Bandar Abbas and lies north of the Strait of Hormuz. The province's coastline stretches eastward to the Gulf of Oman and westward to the Persian Gulf. Iran's sovereignty over the three islands—Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb—dates back to the eras of the Elamite, Median, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid Empires, during which Iranian authority ensured peace and security throughout the Persian Gulf and its islands.

In 1948, the three islands fell under the occupation of the British Empire, acting as the official protector of the Trucial States. However, no Iranian government of the time recognized this occupation, and the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb remained officially part of Iran's administrative divisions.

In 1971, following an agreement between Iran and Britain and before the withdrawal of British military forces from the region and the establishment of the United Arab Emirates, the islands were finally returned to Iran. This marked the resolution of nearly 70 years of persistent Iranian protests against British occupation.