NEW YORK: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is preparing to provide military assistance to the United States in opening the Strait of Hormuz, w...
NEW YORK: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is preparing to provide military assistance to the United States in opening the Strait of Hormuz, which would make the country the first Gulf state combatant in the war against Iran, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said.
Abu Dhabi is lobbying for a UN Security Council resolution authorizing such a move, according to the newspaper. Moreover, UAE diplomats are calling on European and Asian countries to form a coalition to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
An unnamed UAE official stated that the country is actively exploring how Abu Dhabi will participate in the conflict.
Such a move by the UAE carries the risk that engaging in hostilities against Iran will create tensions in the Middle East that will persist after the current conflict ends, according to the publication.
The US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were hit. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Iranian authorities also decided to close the Strait of Hormuz to vessels linked to the US, Israel, and countries that supported the aggression against the Islamic Republic. During the conflict, several tankers were attacked for transiting the strait without Tehran’s permission. On March 25, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Iran had allowed friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China, and Pakistan, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
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