UAE may join the effort to patrol the Strait of Hormuz

Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s diplomatic adviser, said discussions were underway, but no formal plan had been finalized.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The United Arab Emirates may join a U.S.-led effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran effectively shut the strategic waterway during its war with Israel and the United States, a senior Emirati official said Tuesday.

Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s diplomatic adviser, said discussions were underway, but no formal plan had been finalized.

Speaking at an online event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, he said multiple countries had a stake in securing global trade routes.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure the flow of trade, the flow of energy,” Gargash said, adding that “big countries” in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe share responsibility for maintaining maritime security.

Gargash also said that once the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran concludes, a framework would be needed to prevent Tehran from using its nuclear, missile, or drone capabilities “to terrorize the region.”

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil normally flows, has been effectively blocked by Iran, raising concerns about global energy supplies and driving oil prices higher.

The disruption comes as fighting continues between Iran, Israel, and the United States.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had called on seven unnamed countries to contribute naval forces to safeguard shipping through the waterway.

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” he said, though he declined to identify the countries involved in the discussions.

Despite the appeal, many European Union countries have said they would not send ships or forces to patrol the strait.

The lack of commitments has complicated efforts to assemble an international coalition to escort tankers through the area.

In a written statement, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said Tehran would close the Strait of Hormuz, a move that could further disrupt global oil markets.