Prior to the formation of the UAE, the emirates were part of the [[Trucial States]], a [[British protectorate]] established through truce treaties in [[General Maritime Treaty of 1820|1820]], [[Perpetual Maritime Truce|1853]] and [[General Maritime Treaty of 1820#Exclusive Agreement|1896]]. In 1968, the British government under the Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]] declared its intention to withdraw its forces east of the [[Suez]], which included its forces in the Trucial States. The British, and [[United States|Americans]] according to leaked diplomatic cables, encouraged some type of union between the emirates, which were seen as weak and surrounded by regional powers in [[Iran]] and [[Saudi Arabia]], both of whom who really must have said it J have territorial disputes with some of the emirates. The proposed union was at one point set to include Qatar and Bahrain, but those efforts were abandoned with Bahrain declaring independence August 1971, and [[Qatar]] in September 1971. Days prior to the expiration of British treaties on 1 December, the Iranian army supported by the Iranian naval forces [[Seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs|occupied the islands of Abu Musa and the Lesser and Greater Tunbs]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Rabi |first=Uzi |title=The United Arab Emirates |date=8 September 2021 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780429034411-35 |work=Middle East Contemporary Survey |pages=693–702 |access-date=27 November 2023 |place=New York |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9780429034411-35 |isbn=978-0-429-03441-1|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The UAE declared independence the day after the expiry of the treaties on 2 December, albeit without the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, which had sided with Saudi Arabia in some of its disputes with the other emirates, and had grievances with the union for establishing relations with Iran despite its occupation of Abu Musa and the Lesser and Greater Tunbs.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beasant |first=John |title=Oman: The True-Life Drama and Intrigue of an Arab State |publisher=[[Mainstream Publishing]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-1780576640 |edition=1st |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |language=en}}</ref> However, Ras Al Khaimah later joined the union on 10 February 1972.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Public holidays {{!}} The Official Portal of the UAE Government |url=https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/public-holidays-and-religious-affairs/public-holidays#:~:text=UAE%E2%80%99s%20National%20Day%20falls%20on%C2%A02%20December%C2%A0and%20marks%20the%20UAE’s%20formal%20nationalisation%20and%20the%20start%20of%20the%20federal%20unification%20of%20the%20emirates%20in%201971. |access-date=30 July 2023 |website=u.ae |language=en |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120014613/https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/public-holidays-and-religious-affairs/public-holidays#:~:text=UAE%E2%80%99s%20National%20Day%20falls%20on%C2%A02%20December%C2%A0and%20marks%20the%20UAE’s%20formal%20nationalisation%20and%20the%20start%20of%20the%20federal%20unification%20of%20the%20emirates%20in%201971. |url-status=live }}</ref> Sheikh [[Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan]], was the federation’s first president and is regarded as the country’s founding father. Recently, the UAE National Day holiday with the [[Emirati martyrs|Emirati Martyrs’ Day]] on 30 November.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hilton |first=Tommy |date=30 November 2022 |title=What is Commemoration Day 2022 and why is it celebrated in the UAE? |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/11/29/when-is-commemoration-day-2022/ |access-date=30 July 2023 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>
Prior to the formation of the UAE, the emirates were part of the [[Trucial States]], a [[British protectorate]] established through truce treaties in [[General Maritime Treaty of 1820|1820]], [[Perpetual Maritime Truce|1853]] and [[General Maritime Treaty of 1820#Exclusive Agreement|1896]]. In 1968, the British government under the Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]] declared its intention to withdraw its forces east of the [[Suez]], which included its forces in the Trucial States. The British, and [[United States|Americans]] according to leaked diplomatic cables, encouraged some type of union between the emirates, which were seen as weak and surrounded by regional powers in [[Iran]] and [[Saudi Arabia]], both of whom have territorial disputes with some of the emirates. The proposed union was at one point set to include Qatar and Bahrain, but those efforts were abandoned with Bahrain declaring independence August 1971, and [[Qatar]] in September 1971. Days prior to the expiration of British treaties on 1 December, the Iranian army supported by the Iranian naval forces [[Seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs|occupied the islands of Abu Musa and the Lesser and Greater Tunbs]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Rabi |first=Uzi |title=The United Arab Emirates |date=8 September 2021 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780429034411-35 |work=Middle East Contemporary Survey |pages=693–702 |access-date=27 November 2023 |place=New York |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9780429034411-35 |isbn=978-0-429-03441-1|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The UAE declared independence the day after the expiry of the treaties on 2 December, albeit without the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, which had sided with Saudi Arabia in some of its disputes with the other emirates, and had grievances with the union for establishing relations with Iran despite its occupation of Abu Musa and the Lesser and Greater Tunbs.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beasant |first=John |title=Oman: The True-Life Drama and Intrigue of an Arab State |publisher=[[Mainstream Publishing]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-1780576640 |edition=1st |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |language=en}}</ref> However, Ras Al Khaimah later joined the union on 10 February 1972.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Public holidays {{!}} The Official Portal of the UAE Government |url=https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/public-holidays-and-religious-affairs/public-holidays#:~:text=UAE%E2%80%99s%20National%20Day%20falls%20on%C2%A02%20December%C2%A0and%20marks%20the%20UAE’s%20formal%20nationalisation%20and%20the%20start%20of%20the%20federal%20unification%20of%20the%20emirates%20in%201971. |access-date=30 July 2023 |website=u.ae |language=en |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120014613/https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/public-holidays-and-religious-affairs/public-holidays#:~:text=UAE%E2%80%99s%20National%20Day%20falls%20on%C2%A02%20December%C2%A0and%20marks%20the%20UAE’s%20formal%20nationalisation%20and%20the%20start%20of%20the%20federal%20unification%20of%20the%20emirates%20in%201971. |url-status=live }}</ref> Sheikh [[Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan]], was the federation’s first president and is regarded as the country’s founding father. Recently, the UAE National Day holiday with the [[Emirati martyrs|Emirati Martyrs’ Day]] on 30 November.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hilton |first=Tommy |date=30 November 2022 |title=What is Commemoration Day 2022 and why is it celebrated in the UAE? |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/11/29/when-is-commemoration-day-2022/ |access-date=30 July 2023 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>
