DUBAI, March 17. /TASS/. The United Arab Emirates could take part in a US-led effort to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior UAE official said, adding though that no formal plan had been agreed and discussions were ongoing, Reuters news agency reported.
"We all have a responsibility to ensure the flow of trade, the flow of energy," diplomatic adviser to the UAE President Anwar Gargash said at an online event hosted by the American think tank the Council Foreign Relations.
Gargash also said that once the US-Israeli war with Iran ends, an arrangement would be needed to ensure that Iran cannot use its nuclear, missile or drone programs "to terrorize the region."
Concerns have mounted over the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked, and as President Donald Trump has sought to rally countries to deploy warships to escort tankers through the strategic waterway.
Earlier Gargash told La Repubblica that blocking of the Strait of Hormuz is temporary, and the consequences for the energy markets only mean more isolation for Iran. He also said the Gulf nations are increasingly convinced of the need to include not only the republic's nuclear program, but also its missile plan in the negotiations with Iran, since it "has become a mechanism of aggression."
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran, hitting major cities, including Tehran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite army units) retaliated with sweeping attacks on Israel. Targets in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were also hit. On March 2, IRGC Major General Ebrahim Jabari warned that the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil exports pass, would be closed to ships. On March 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the strait is not closed, but ships and tankers do not cross it for fear of attacks from both sides.