UAE willing to join fight to reopen Strait of Hormuz: Report
WASHINGTON
The United Arab Emirates is preparing to support United States-led efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on March 31.
Citing Arab officials, the paper reported that the UAE is lobbying for a U.N. Security Council resolution that would authorize military action and is urging the U.S. and military powers in Europe and Asia to form a coalition to secure the strategic waterway.
The Gulf state is also reviewing potential military roles, including mine-clearing operations, as it weighs becoming a direct participant in the conflict for the first time, the report said.
In a statement cited by the Wall Street Journal, the UAE Foreign Ministry said there is “broad global consensus that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be preserved,” pointing to international condemnation of disruptions in the waterway.
The U.S.-Israel war with Iran and rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted regional energy flows, contributing to supply concerns and upward pressure on global prices.
On March 2, Iran announced restrictions on navigation in the strategic waterway, warning it could target vessels transiting without coordination.
About 20 percent of global oil supply passes through the strait daily and heightened insecurity has driven up oil prices as well as shipping and insurance costs.
The report came as Dubai-based airline Emirates' website said on April 1 that Iranian nationals were not allowed to enter or transit the United Arab Emirates.
The website of another carrier, Flydubai, said Iranian nationals holding a UAE "Golden Visa" were exempt and permitted to enter and transit the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump said France, China and other countries that seek passage through the waterway will have to "fend for themselves."
"What happens with the strait we're not going to have anything to do with," he said.
In a Truth Social post earlier on March 31, Trump lashed out at NATO allies and other countries that have refused to help the United States secure the strait.
"The U.S.A. won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us," he wrote. "Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!"
The Associated Press also reported that Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn’t been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign.
Officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there’s a dramatic shift in Iranian behavior, according to the officials.
While regional leaders are broadly supportive now of the U.S. efforts, one Gulf diplomat described some division, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the calls for increasing military pressure on Tehran.
The UAE has emerged as perhaps the most hawkish of the Gulf countries and is pushing hard for Trump to order a ground invasion, the diplomat said. Kuwait and Bahrain also favor this option.