UAE does not want new round of conflict but is 'braced for worst', says Dr Gargash

The UAE does not want a new round of military confrontation in the region but is prepared for the worst as it seeks a peaceful solution to the prolonged crisis, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, said on Sunday.

Speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Dr Gargash said the UAE and other Gulf countries were hoping mediation efforts would lead to a breakthrough, saying another escalation would serve neither regional interests nor those of Iran.

“We don’t really want to see another round of confrontation in the region. We want to see a diplomatic and political resolution,” he said.

But he added that the UAE was prepared to protect its security, development and population should hostilities resume.

“We are also, as we have shown before, braced for the worst, and to protect our achievements, our development model, our country, our citizens, and the people who are resident here,” he said.

There has been growing uncertainty across the region over whether military confrontation between the US and Iran could resume in the near future.

The regional war, which began in February when the US and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, has yet to reach a lasting settlement. Iran has targeted all six Gulf states and Jordan in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks.

An interim agreement reached in June failed to secure a lasting ceasefire or restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has since proposed that Washington lift its blockade of Iranian ports in exchange for Tehran reopening the waterway within seven days.

Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday in a renewed effort to broker a deal, but the sides remain divided over whether nuclear negotiations or relief from the blockade and oil sanctions should take priority.

Dr Gargash stressed that restoring the prewar situation in the Strait of Hormuz was a non-negotiable priority for Gulf countries, given its importance to global energy supplies and trade.

“The flow of energy, the flow of trade … this is something that cannot be a cost that we will all bear because of a crisis that we did not create,” he said.

The sea lane has been effectively closed by Iran since March, and a US counter-blockade has squeezed Iranian oil exports.

When asked whether the UAE was in talks with Iran, he said: “Of course, we are talking to Iran. All Gulf countries are talking to Iran through different channels.”

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'Not risen to challenge'

Dr Gargash said individual countries had demonstrated their ability to defend themselves, but the Gulf Co-operation Council had fallen short of a collective response to the crisis.

“Nationally, we have. Each state independently has, or sometimes in terms of bilateral co-operation. But we collectively have not risen to the challenge,” he said.

He warned that declarations of Gulf solidarity were not enough, calling for renewed efforts to rebuild confidence in the bloc’s ability to respond to major security threats.

“We really have to start what I would call rebuilding Gulf confidence,” he said, adding that the crisis had exposed weaknesses in the region’s collective security arrangements.

Confidence in the GCC’s ability to confront a crisis of this scale had been undermined and, in some cases, proved “hollow”, he said.

Dr Gargash said the crisis had reinforced the importance of the UAE’s strategic relationship with the US, describing it as central to the country's security calculations.

The partnership was particularly important in strengthening the UAE’s ability to defend its sovereignty, alongside its own military capabilities and political will, he said.

01:06

Bahrain says door remains open to Iran under shared regional rules

Regional framework

Speaking on the same panel, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani said the way forward required a regional framework based on shared interests and responsibilities, one that would deter threats while remaining open to neighbouring countries willing to respect its principles.

“It must be strong enough to discourage anyone from testing it. It should also be open to every neighbour willing to respect sovereignty, avoid interference in other states' affairs, protect freedom navigation and reject the threat or use of force.

“That door remains open to Iran, as it does to every other neighbour. But it is a door that leads to shared rules, not special exceptions, and to actions, not intentions,” he said.