The United Arab Emirates has fired a warning against a ceasefire that fails to address key issues in the region, including Iran’s nuclear programme and “the missiles and drones which are still raining down on us and other countries”.
Dr Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the UAE president, made the comments in a briefing that his nation wants to see an end to the conflict but not one that creates continuous instability in the region going forward.
Iran has had a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz during this conflict. A handful of tankers are passing through the waterway every day, but the numbers are vastly reduced compared to normal.
He said Iran’s strategy was likely to harden the Gulf’s security alignment with Washington – not reduce it – and lead to Israeli influence in the region becoming more prominent. He added that the UAE would “double down” on its relationship with the United States.
He said “the Strait of Hormuz cannot be held hostage by any one country” and while the UAE was not ready to act as a maritime force, it would join “any American-led effort, international effort to secure navigation in the Strait.”
