Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, has said that Iran’s approach to the current war will only solidify the role of the US in the region.
He told a group of journalists on Saturday that Iran’s strategy will strengthen “the American role in the Gulf, moving forward”.
“It will not reduce it,” he said.
As the conflict enters its sixth week, Dr Gargash voiced the UAE’s gratitude for the help it is receiving from countries around the world.
This came with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on a visit to Abu Dhabi and after more than 125 world leaders expressed their support for the UAE since the war started. The US stood out for the support it was providing, Dr Gargash said.
“Our main security partner is the United States,” he said. “We will double down on our relationship with the United States.”
He particularly highlighted the “exceptional” American support “in terms of air defence”. He also pointed to France as “a steadfast partner” and added that as a consequence of Iran’s attacks, “we will see Israeli influence become more prominent in the Gulf, not less”.
Dr Gargash said that the Iranian regime was fighting for itself, “not fighting for the country”.
“Any normal regime will not accept the sort of destruction that they are seeing … only to prove that they have resisted,” he said.
And while the UAE stressed that the type of leadership in Iran is a matter for Iranians to decide, he said that “we don’t want animosity … but with this regime there is no trust."
The UAE announced on Sunday that its air defences had intercepted 2,191 drones, 507 ballistic missiles and 24 cruise missiles since February 28, when the war began.
Dr Gargash was clear about the gravity of the situation, calling the Iran war “the worst-case scenario”.
“If you asked me over the last 20 years, what is the sort of unlikely worst-case scenario that the UAE can face, I would have said a full Iranian attack,” he said. “And this is what we are seeing.”
However, despite this “worst case scenario happening … we are coping very well, and finding out that we are very resilient, and finding out that we are very resourceful”.
“The fundamentals are very strong for a UAE comeback,” Dr Gargash said. “We will come back, we will come back very strong, but we will have to do some work also.”
Several UAE authorities are continuously assessing the fallout from the war and planning for a recovery.
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran of major repercussions if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
“For us, the Strait of Hormuz cannot be held hostage by one country,” Dr Gargash said. Several solutions have been proposed to deal with the closure of the crucial waterway, including the use of force.
A western media outlet had reported that the UAE could be a maritime force to open it, but Dr Gargash denied this.
“We’re not ready to act as a maritime force but we will join any American-led effort, international effort to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “We are ready to play our part. This is extremely important for the global economy and global trade; it is an issue that is extremely important for everybody.”
As Bahrain prepares to present a resolution on the issue to the UN Security Council for a vote this week, after extensive diplomatic efforts to avoid a Russian or Chinese veto, Dr Gargash stressed that “this issue [Hormuz] has to be part and parcel of the settlement of any conflict, with clear agreement”.
How the conflict will be settled is still unclear, with escalation from Iran, the US and Israel. Dr Gargash articulated the UAE position, saying the “end to this conflict should not also create a continuous instability in the region”.
“From our perspective, we don't want to see more and more escalation,” he said. “But we don't want a ceasefire that does not address some of the main issues that will create a much more dangerous environment in the region.”
Iran’s nuclear, missile and drone programmes need to be curtailed, he added, “and then, if Iran also wants to see a non-belligerence agreement, that agreement has to extend to everybody”.
He also referred to the financial costs of Iranian attacks on the Gulf.
“It's not only American-Israeli actions against Iran, but it has to be also Iran's belligerence against its neighbours,” Dr Gargash said. “When Iranians speak about reparations, it also works here.”
