U.S. officials want UAE to seize Iranian island | 17 May 2026 | Some U.S. officials are encouraging the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to seize one of Iran’s islands in the Persian Gulf, The Telegraph has reported, citing sources. The island in question is Lavan, one of Iran’s key offshore oil export centers, which hosts refinery, storage and tanker-loading infrastructure connected to several major crude fields. It also sits atop a large natural gas reserve. Some in the circle of U.S. President Donald Trump have suggested the UAE should take the island, the outlet wrote on Saturday. “Go take ’em! It would be UAE boots on the ground instead of U.S.,” it cited a former senior Trump security official as saying.