Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
Free passage through the Strait of Hormuz must be restored to ensure the durable stability of global markets, Dr Sultan Al Jaber and US Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday.
And the UAE's ambassador to the US, Minister of State Yousef Al Otaiba, pushed for a “conclusive outcome” to the war that must address all Iranian threats.
Dr Al Jaber, the UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, was in Washington to meet politicians and officials as the Iran conflict rages and the Strait of Hormuz remains mostly shut.
On Monday, Dr Al Jaber, who also is managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc, said Iran's closure of the vital shipping lane amounted to an act “economic terrorism” against every nation in the world.
In a post on X, Adnoc said Mr Al Jaber and Mr Vance “discussed the fact that energy security equals global security, and that restoring free passage through the Strait of Hormuz is the only durable solution to stabilising global markets".
The post added that the two also underscored the strength of UAE-US relations across key sectors, including security and other domains.
Mr Al Jaber will later on Wednesday attend a gala hosted to celebrate the Middle East Institute's 80th anniversary. The influential think tank is honouring him with the Distinguished Global Leadership Award.
Meanwhile, Mr Al Otaiba wrote in a comment piece that Iran must not be allowed to hold the UAE, US and the global economy hostage.
“A simple ceasefire isn’t enough. We need a conclusive outcome that addresses Iran’s full range of threats: nuclear capabilities, missiles, drones, terror proxies and blockades of international sea lanes,” the long-standing envoy to the US wrote in The Wall Street Journal.
Mr Al Otaiba said Iran had launched more than 2,180 missiles and drones at the UAE, far more than at any other country, adding that 95 per cent of the attacks had been intercepted.
He also reaffirmed the UAE's willingness to join an international initiative to reopen the strait and outlined some of the steps the Emirates had taken to try to avert a war.
Mr Al Otaiba said that until hours before the first strikes of the war on February 28, Emirati officials undertook "intensive diplomatic efforts" from Tehran to Washington.
"We made clear to the Iranians that in the event of a war, UAE territory and airspace wouldn’t be used for strikes on Iran," he wrote. "We knew we would be Iran’s first choice of targets. Not only because we are so near, but because we are so different."
Mr Al Otaiba said that Iran "can't accept" the concept of the UAE being a "modern, progressive, prosperous Muslim society that delivers for its people".
"We empower women and welcome all faiths. The UAE is the argument Iran can’t win, the idea it can’t accept," he wrote, noting that his country and its economy will absorb the shock of the war.
Adnoc also posted on X that Dr Al Jaber met several key US politicians including Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy.
“From Ohio to Pennsylvania, Louisiana to South Carolina, one message is clear: energy security is economic security,” Adnoc wrote.
UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh also attended the meetings.
