The United Arab Emirates is ready to join a forceful operation to open the Strait of Hormuz if the US and allies decide to carry it out, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.
If this happens, the UAE will become the first Gulf country to become a direct participant in military action against Iran.
According to the Journal’s interlocutors, the UAE is now lobbying for a UN Security Council resolution that would authorise forceful action to open the Strait of Hormuz. Emirati diplomats have called on the US, as well as European and Asian countries, to form a coalition that would open the strait by force.
WSJ sources also told the WSJ that the UAE is pushing for the US to seize islands in the Strait of Hormuz, including Abu Musa Island, which is controlled by Iran and claimed by the Emirates.
Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz almost immediately after the war in the Middle East began. Up to one-fifth of all offshore oil exports (about 20 million barrels per day) as well as liquefied natural gas passed through the strait. Blocking the strait led to a sharp rise in oil prices. At the end of March, Iran announced that it would levy tolls on passage through the strait.
According to WSJ, US President Donald Trump told aides that he is ready to end the war against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. The publication’s interlocutors say Washington will push for allies in Europe and the Gulf to take the lead in opening the strait.
UAE ready to facilitate opening of the Strait of Hormuz-WSJ