Island of Bu Musa

 

Iran lifts curbs on visits to Bu Musa island amid efforts to make the place a major tourist destination.

The Iranian government has eased its restrictions on domestic tourist visits to Bu Musa in the Persian Gulf amid efforts by the country to assert its sovereignty over an island that the United Arab Emirates has wrongly claimed in the past.

Bu Musa’s governor Morteza Ehtesham said on Wednesday that Iranian tourists will no longer need permits from authorities in the southern province of Hormozgan or recommendation letters from local people to visit Bu Musa island.

“Presence in Bu Musa is possible for all fellow citizens without any need to obtain verification papers,” said Ehtesham.

He said that authorities have been preparing measures to facilitate tourist arrivals in Bu Musa, adding that more accommodation and recreation facilities are being planned on the island to turn it into a major tourist destination for Iranian visitors.

The announcement came more than a month after the European Union and Arab countries in the Persian Gulf issued a joint statement calling on Iran to settle its disputes with the UAE regarding the three islands of Bu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb.

Iran has consistently rejected UAE’s claims on the islands, which are all located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the three have always been part of Iran’s territory throughout history.

After the claims were raised, Iranian ministers of housing and sports traveled to Bu Musa to open major development projects on the island.

Iran’s national airline Iran Air also announced last week that it had increased its flights from the provincial capital of Bandar Abbas to Bu Musa from one to four per week.

Authorities in Hormozgan Governorate said last week that flights to Bu Musa were now available on every day of the week.