Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Why does Saudi Arabia want Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir?

Why does Saudi Arabia want Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir?

A multinational peacekeeping force will leave a strategic Red Sea island by the end of the year, the US says, potentially boosting opportunities for future contact between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The White House has announced that peacekeepers including US soldiers will leave the strategic Red Sea island of Tiran by the end of the year, possibly boosting opportunities for future contact between Israel and Saudi Arabia

“Thanks to the months of quiet, persistent diplomacy, we have finalised an agreement to move international peacekeepers from Tiran Island in the Red Sea and transform an area that once sparked wars into a future hub of peaceful tourism and economic development,” US President Joe Biden said at a summit in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, after the move was first announced on Friday.

Egypt ceded the two small Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir, which are uninhabited but of key strategic value, to Saudi Arabia in 2016. But their territorial status needs to be ratified by Israel before their sovereignty is transferred.

The decision to remove peacekeepers could help resolve the tricky status that stems from their location and turbulent history and build trust between Israel and Saudi Arabia – two US allies that are now taking gradual steps that Washington hopes could one day lead to full diplomatic ties.


Who owns territorial claim over the islands?


*  The islands have been under the sovereignty of Egypt since 1950.

*  Israeli troops invaded the islands during the 1956 Suez Crisis that came after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the canal, which was instrumental to trade between Europe and Asia.

*  Egypt regained control briefly for about a decade, but the islands – along with the Sinai Peninsula – were occupied by Israel again following the 1967 war.

*  Under the landmark 1978 Camp David peace treaty, Israel returned control of the Sinai, Tiran and Sanafir to Egypt.

*  In 2016, Egypt ceded the islands, located east of its resort town Sharm el-Sheikh, to Saudi Arabia.


Why did Egypt cede control of the islands to Saudi Arabia?


*  The controversial April 2016 decision by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to hand over territorial sovereignty to Riyadh sparked nationalist protests in Egypt, which were quickly stifled.

*  Critics accused el-Sisi of ceding the islands in return for Saudi aid and investment. The government argued the islands were originally Saudi Arabian but leased to Egypt in the 1950s.

*  Egyptian courts handed down a series of contradictory rulings before the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the handover.

*  It is worth noting that in 1990, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak voluntarily relinquished control of the two islands to Saudi Arabia.

*  It took two decades, in 2010, for Riyadh to post its maritime baseline at the United Nations to make its sovereignty claim, to which Egypt consented.

What is the strategic importance of the two islands?


*  Tiran controls the maritime passage in the strategic stretch of the Red Sea, meaning that it controls all shipping to Eilat, Israel’s only access to the Red Sea.

*  Saudi Arabia says it wants to develop the islands for tourism.

When did Saudi Arabia first stake a claim to the islands?


*  Saudi Arabia’s first claim to the islands was made by King Saud bin Abdulaziz in 1957, and was supported by the US.

*  At the request of the US ambassador to Riyadh at the time, Saudi Arabia released a statement in 1968 again staking claim to the islands and pledging free maritime passage should it fall in their hands.

What human presence is there on the islands?


*  As part of the Sinai’s demilitarisation following the Camp David agreement, Cairo was not allowed to station troops on the islands, where only peacekeepers were based as part of the so-called Multinational Force and Observers.

*  Tiran – which hosts a small airport for the peacekeepers – measures about 61sq kilometres (24sq miles), while Sanafir, to the east, is only about half that size.

*  The islands’ waters are occasionally visited by divers for their coral reefs.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
×