The United Arab Emirates has warned that any settlement of the war with Iran must guarantee unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz and address Tehran’s nuclear programme and missile capabilities, cautioning that a deal which leaves these issues unresolved would produce a more unstable region than the one that existed before the conflict began.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said at a weekend briefing that freedom of navigation through the strait — the conduit for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied gas supplies — was a global economic imperative, not a regional bargaining chip.
“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be held hostage by any country,” Gargash said, adding that guaranteed access “has to be part and parcel of the settlement of any conflict.”
He warned against a ceasefire that left the underlying causes of instability intact. “We don’t want a ceasefire that fails to address some of the main issues that will create a much more dangerous environment in the region — notably Iran’s nuclear programme, the missiles and drones that are still raining down on us and on other countries.”
Worst-case scenario now reality
Gargash said the UAE had for decades considered a full-scale Iranian attack its least likely worst-case scenario — one that was now unfolding. The UAE has absorbed heavier Iranian strikes than any other Gulf state, according to regional officials, yet Gargash said the country was coping well and that its economic fundamentals remained strong enough to support a recovery.
He said Iran’s strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure and shipping lanes represented a calculated attempt to raise the costs for Washington’s Arab allies and pressure the US into halting its campaign — a strategy that drew on years of Gulf efforts to balance relations with both Washington and Tehran. Many Gulf states had restored diplomatic ties with Iran and pursued engagement in the belief it would reduce risk. That calculation, Gargash suggested, had now been overtaken by events.
Iran’s leadership, he argued, was fighting to preserve the regime rather than the country. “No normal government would accept such destruction simply to claim it had resisted,” he said, adding that trust with Tehran was impossible under its current leadership — though the UAE did not seek hostility with Iran itself.
US remains core security partner
Gargash said Iran’s conduct was likely to deepen Gulf alignment with Washington rather than loosen it, entrenching the US military presence in the region and expanding Israel’s strategic footprint. The UAE would double down on its relationship with the US as regional threats intensified, he said, describing Washington as an exceptional partner — particularly in bolstering the UAE’s air defence capabilities. France was singled out as a steadfast ally.
The UAE said it was ready to join any US-led international effort to secure shipping through the strait. The conflict erupted on 28 February when the US and Israel struck Iran after nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran reached a deadlock. Iran retaliated with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israel, US military bases, and Gulf energy infrastructure including airports, ports and commercial centres.
(Reuters)
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