- UAE is building alternative trade and shipping routes amid US-Iran conflict risks
- Anwar Gargash emphasized protecting UAE trade despite regional unrest at Hili Forum
- UAE expanding pipelines, railroads, and port capacity along its eastern coast
In order to prevent its economic activity and energy exports from being "held hostage" by the protracted conflict between the United States and Iran, the United Arab Emirates is constructing other trade and shipping routes.
Anwar Gargash, the presidential adviser for the United Arab Emirates, stressed at the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi that the nation will protect its trade despite regional unrest, Reuters reported.
The UAE and other Gulf Arab nations have been severely impacted by the crisis since Tehran targeted their oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and fired missiles against them.
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"Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity," Gargash told the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi.
According to him, the UAE has been building pipelines, railroads, and commercial routes for other pathways in addition to increasing port capacity along its eastern coast.
Gargash acknowledged that ties with Iran would eventually improve, but he cautioned that it might take decades to regain confidence following the strikes.
Additionally, he criticised the Gulf Arab states for their inability to organise a coordinated response to Iran, claiming that they had failed to convert common worries into a cohesive plan.
At the policymakers' meeting, a spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry expressed similar worries, stating that Gulf Arab nations shouldn't depend exclusively on their strategic alliance with the United States for security.
"We need to realise in the Gulf that having international forces in the region and having a strategic alliance with the U.S. is very important but is not enough," Majed al-Ansari said.
"Self-sufficiency when it comes to security is the only way forward."
Iran carried out its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, which used to be a conduit for one-fifth of the world's energy supplies. The interruption caused a global economic crisis and skyrocketed energy prices.
The status of the waterway continues to be a major barrier to talks between Washington and Tehran, which are being mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. Iran maintains that the strait belongs to both Iran and Oman, a claim that is widely rejected by Gulf states.
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"Freedom of navigation is not a concession to be granted, nor a principle to be renegotiated under pressure," Gargash stated, stressing that any long-term solution must contain reliable assurances against additional Iranian strikes on Gulf Arab nations.
The U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 started the confrontation, which is still at a standstill. There hasn't been much progress in reviving the peace process, and a provisional ceasefire that was struck in June has fallen apart.
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