The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has told the U.S. and other Western allies that it will participate in a multinational maritime task force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report from the Financial Times.
The UAE is attempting to push dozens of countries to create a “Hormuz Security Force” to defend the Strait from Iranian attacks and to escort tankers passing through, the report added.
Last week, a senior Emirati official said that the UAE may join U.S.-led efforts to protect shipping in the strait, after Iran effectively halted most shipping traffic.
U.N. Security Council Resolution
Several U.S. allies have said they have no immediate plans to deploy ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a Trump request for military support to keep the key waterway open.
France said on Thursday that it had held talks with around 35 countries seeking partnerships and proposals for a mission to reopen the strait, but only once the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran ends.
The UAE is also working on a U.N. Security Council resolution with Bahrain to provide any future task force with a mandate, but it is possible that Russia and China may oppose the move, the report stated.
U.N. Security Council members have begun negotiating resolutions to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including a Bahrain draft that would authorise the use of “all necessary means.”
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, responsible for carrying approximately 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas, which has shocked the world’s energy markets and fuelled fears of global inflation.
The Strait of Hormuz is vital to the UAE’s economy, a major oil exporter and trade hub. Iran has repeatedly attacked the Emirati post located outside the Gulf that is used for loading oil exports. The UAE has faced more Iranian attacks than any country in West Asia, including Israel.
(With inputs from Reuters)
