Abu Musa (Persian: ابوموسی‎  listen  Island is a 12.8 square kilometer (4.9 sq mi) Iranian island in the eastern Persian Gulf near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Due to the depth of sea, oil tankers and big ships, have to pass between Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs; this makes these islands some of the most strategic points in the Persian Gulf.