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UAE Signals Willingness to Join U.S.-Led Effort to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

UAE Signals Willingness to Join U.S.-Led Effort to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
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The United Arab Emirates signaled it was prepared to join a U.S.- and Western-led military effort to “force open” the Strait of Hormuz, raising the prospect of the first direct Gulf Arab participation in operations to break Iran’s blockade of the world’s most important oil chokepoint investinglive. The move came as tanker traffic through the strait fell from more than 100 ships a day to single digits and Brent crude traded above $90 a barrel amid mounting fears of a sustained energy shock yahoo +1.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Abu Dhabi has told Washington and other allies it is willing to contribute naval forces to a multinational maritime task force to secure the waterway and restore commercial shipping, after weeks of Iranian missile and drone strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure and vessels investinglive. UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh has framed Tehran’s campaign as an attack on the global economy, warning that “Iran must not be allowed to hold the global economy hostage” and is “trying to give the global economy a heart attack” by closing the strait safety4sea +1.

What the UAE’s Shift Means for the Military Balance

The UAE’s readiness to join combat operations marked a significant break from Gulf states’ earlier, largely defensive posture in the Iran war, and would make it the first Persian Gulf country to signal openness to direct military action to reopen Hormuz investinglive. Analysts said Emirati participation could add capable frigates, patrol craft, surveillance assets and critical basing along the southern approaches to the strait, strengthening any U.S.- or NATO-led coalition effort newsable.

But military planners have warned that reopening a contested chokepoint is inherently slow and risky. U.S. officials stressed that missiles and drones, not sea mines, were currently the primary threat to merchant shipping, requiring a dense air-defense and electronic-warfare umbrella to protect both warships and tankers thehindubusinessline. A Barron’s assessment noted that even under favorable conditions, clearing safe corridors and organizing escorted convoys could take “weeks to months,” with coalition vessels exposed to Iranian shore-based batteries and asymmetric attacks israelnationalnews. Bringing Gulf navies directly into the fight could also widen the conflict, increasing the risk of Iranian strikes on Emirati cities and infrastructure in response.

Global Energy Stakes of a Prolonged Hormuz Crisis

Roughly 20 million barrels of crude and petroleum products — about 20–25% of global seaborne oil trade — normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day, along with significant volumes of Qatari liquefied natural gas and fertilizer exports mk +1. UN trade officials said the current disruption has already pushed oil prices above $90 per barrel, driven up freight and war-risk insurance premiums, and raised concerns about fertilizer availability and food security for import-dependent countries mk.

Ship-tracking data compiled by Statista and the IMF’s PortWatch showed average daily transits collapsing from around 138 vessels to single digits after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February and Tehran’s retaliatory campaign on shipping and Gulf energy assets yahoo. At least 20 commercial vessels have been hit in the Gulf and Hormuz region, with at least seven seafarers killed, according to maritime incident data cited by U.S. Naval Institute News thehindubusinessline. China, which bought about 1.38 million barrels per day of Iranian crude in 2025 — roughly 80% of Iran’s seaborne exports — has seen its own flag carriers largely stop transiting the strait, underscoring how even Tehran’s key customer has been unable to insulate itself from the disruption wsj +1.

The Bigger Picture

Energy and security experts outlined several paths from here: a limited multinational escort mission that gradually restores flows; a fragile diplomatic fix, potentially mediated by China; or a protracted contest that keeps Hormuz effectively closed and drives oil toward $100 a barrel and beyond mk +2. Brookings analysts argued that traffic is unlikely to normalize “until the war itself is over,” while warning that what happens in the Gulf will ripple through inflation, food prices and political stability worldwide ndtvprofit. The UAE’s willingness to join a fight to reopen the strait signaled rising regional impatience with Iran’s leverage — but also heightened the stakes of any miscalculation in one of the world’s tightest and most strategically exposed waterways.

investinglive Wall Street Journal; yahoo Statista/IMF PortWatch; mk UNCTAD; safety4sea Euronews; thediplomaticinsight Fox News; newsable BBC/defense analyses; thehindubusinessline USNI News; israelnationalnews Barron’s; cryptorank BBC; wsj Reuters; allisraelnews CSIS; ndtvprofit Brookings.