The UAE is open to joining a future US-led multinational effort to ensure safety and security in the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Emirati official said.
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, said his country could work alongside other nations to ensure maritime security in the strait, which has effectively been closed to ships by Iran.
“I can see us, for example, playing a role with other countries in ensuring the safety and security of the Strait of Hormuz,” Dr Gargash said during an online event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow stretch of water between Iran and Oman at the entrance to the Gulf, is one of the world’s most strategically important energy chokepoints and a vital artery for global trade.
About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through it each day, but Iran has largely shut the route, sparking concerns of a global energy shock.
Dr Gargash said that ensuring the free flow of trade and energy through the strait was a global responsibility and suggested any effort was likely to form part of a US-led initiative.
“It'll be part of what is being garnered as an international effort led by the United States, but this is something that is in the interest of everybody,” he added.
Oil has surged to more than $100 per barrel since the strait was closed under threat of attack this month. About 25 per cent of the world's seaborne oil and 20 per cent of global liquefied natural gas pass through the chokepoint.
At least 20 ships have been attacked by Iran, with several sunk or set ablaze, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Dr Gargash said responsibility should extend beyond the US to include countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, highlighting China’s significant trade and energy ties to the region.
“China is a country that has huge trade in the region," he said. "It has huge energy, also connections with the region. And I think China is also a responsible member of the international community.
“I would hope very much that China also will be one of the countries that will ensure maritime trade and the safety of energy movement through the Strait of Hormuz."
With pressure building on US President Donald Trump's administration over rising energy prices, Washington has called on allies to help secure the strait.
The US is talking to seven countries about patrolling the waterway to protect shipping, Mr Trump has said, claiming America has been “maintaining” the Strait “for years”.
On Tuesday, he said most Nato allies have told Washington they do not want to get involved in the Iran war, then claimed the country did not need their help anyway.
