The United Arab Emirates has told the U.S. and other Western allies that it is willing to participate in a multinational maritime taskforce aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The UAE is seeking to rally dozens of countries to form a “Hormuz Security Force” to protect shipping from Iranian attacks and escort vessels through the vital waterway.
The move comes as Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas, spiking energy prices and fuelling global inflation fears.
According to the sources in the article, Abu Dhabi plans to deploy its own navy as part of the effort. “The focus is on creating as broad an international force as possible,” one official said.
“It’s not about going to war with Iran. Iran went to war on the global economy, and people need to stand up,” the official added.
The UAE said it's also collaborating with Bahrain on a United Nations Security Council resolution to give the proposed taskforce an official mandate, although opposition from Russia and China could complicate the plan.
So far, Bahrain is the only other Gulf state openly backing the initiative, though the UAE hopes to secure support from Saudi Arabia and additional international partners.
Senior Emirati minister Sultan al-Jaber emphasised the economic stakes. “Iran holds Hormuz hostage. Every nation pays the ransom, at the gas pump, at the grocery store, at the pharmacy.”
While the U.S. has called for NATO allies to assist in securing the strait, many have yet to commit ships, with France indicating it will consider involvement only once hostilities between the U.S., Israel, and Iran have ended.
The UAE, which has a relatively small but modern navy, is positioning itself at the forefront of an effort to ensure the free flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the country’s growing frustration with repeated Iranian attacks on its ports and shipping lanes.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that the administration was working to allow ships to transit the strait “as quickly as we can.”
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investi...
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricult...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12th of August, covering the latest developments.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment