LONDON, March 27. /TASS/. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has informed the United States and other Western partners that it is ready to deploy naval forces to restore shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported.

According to its sources, the UAE is willing to join a multinational maritime task force that would potentially operate in the Strait of Hormuz. The country is also working with Bahrain on a UN Security Council resolution to authorize such operations. According to the FT, one of the people familiar with the situation emphasized that "it’s not about going to war with Iran."

At the same time, UAE authorities are holding discussions with Saudi Arabia to secure Riyadh’s support for the plan. Bahrain has unequivocally backed the initiative aimed at restoring shipping, the FT added. Other Gulf countries have not yet made a final decision regarding their participation in potential operations, partly due to concerns that the US could "abruptly withdraw," leaving Arab states to face Iran alone.

Two sources told the newspaper that countries of the region could also accelerate the implementation of projects to build pipelines and railway infrastructure to ensure energy supply deliveries to Oman or the Mediterranean by land.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit.

On March 11, Khatam al-Anbiya, the central headquarters of the Iranian army, said that Iran would not allow any oil cargo related to the United States and its allies to be transported through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil exports flows.