Ghalibaf: enemies preparing to seize Iranian island with regional country backing — 'all vital infrastructure' will be struck

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf issued a stark threat on March 25: 'Based on some data, Iran's enemies… are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands,' with backing from a regional country. He warned: 'All the vital infrastructure of that regional country will… become the target of relentless attacks.' Ghalibaf did not name the regional country, but the most likely context is the UAE, which has a long-standing dispute with Iran over Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb islands in the Persian Gulf — seized by Iran in 1971. The islands sit astride key oil shipping lanes near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. The threat is highly significant: it represents Iran threatening a Gulf Arab state with direct infrastructure strikes — a step beyond the IRGC's strike on the UAE-linked Kuwait airport fuel tank on Day 1 of the war. If the UAE is the target implied, its critical infrastructure includes the Jebel Ali port (world's largest man-made harbour), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) facilities, and UAE Air Force bases. Ghalibaf is the same official named in immunity talks (Araghchi/Ghalibaf), suggesting this threat is designed for domestic legitimacy and deterrence rather than immediate execution. Iran's island claim remains a core sovereignty issue that Iran has never relinquished.