The United Arab Emirates is building alternative routes for its energy exports and trade to ensure they are not "held hostage" by the ongoing war with Iran, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Monday.
Anwar Gargash © GN
The United Arab Emirates is building alternative routes for its energy exports and trade to ensure they are not "held hostage" by the ongoing war with Iran, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Monday.
The conflict has significantly impacted the oil-rich Gulf Arab states, including the UAE as Tehran fired missiles at the country and attacked its oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity," Gargash told the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE has been expanding port capacity along its eastern coast, as well as pipelines, railways and trade routes for alternative corridors, he said.
Gargash added that while relations with Iran could be restored, rebuilding trust with its neighbours after the attacks may take decades.
"A functional relationship with Iran can and must be restored, but rebuilding trust is another matter," Gargash said.
The UAE, a critical economic lifeline for Iran, had suspended all financial and economic transactions with the Islamic Republic in August, citing military escalation by Tehran and missile threats.
Gargash also criticised the Gulf Arab states for their response to the Iranian attacks, saying their collective action fell short.
"For many years we broadly agreed on the nature of the challenge posed by Iran," he said.
"The problem was therefore not a lack of understanding. Where we fell short in confronting this historic challenge was translating this shared understanding into sufficiently united and strategic response."
Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Eman Abouhassira
The third edition of the Hili Forum opened in Abu Dhabi on Monday under the theme “Gulf at Crossroads: Conflict, Consequences and Course Correction,” convening policymakers, diplomats, academics and international experts as the region confronts overlapping security, economic and technological pressures.
On 4 September 2026 the UN General Assembly adopted, by 164 votes to 1, the resolution Correct the Map: rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa.
Iran said it will announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf in the coming days, along with maps of a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, as a weekend exchange of strikes on shipping sent oil prices higher on Monday.
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