Senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash warned on Monday that the region could face a prolonged period of uncertainty, saying a comprehensive political settlement between the United States and Iran to end the more than eight-month war appeared to be difficult.
Anwar Gargash © DDI
Senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash warned on Monday that the region could face a prolonged period of uncertainty, saying a comprehensive political settlement between the United States and Iran to end the more than eight-month war appeared to be difficult.
"We should ... prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor stable regional order can be taken for granted ," Gargash said in an address to a geopolitical conference in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates capital
Gargash also said the consequences of the US war with Iran "may persist for a long time", requiring the UAE to invest in its "defensive capabilities, the maintenance of credible deterrence, and stronger international security partners"
The UAE opposed the US war with Iran from the outset, said Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president
Speaking in Manama on November 1, Gargash said the UAE was "braced for the worst" amid fears in the region the US was on the verge of striking Iran and that Tehran would retaliate by attacking Gulf states, as it had earlier this year
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said he did not believe a breakthrough on diplomatic efforts to end the war was imminent
On Monday, Gargash said a prolonged period of regional uncertainty would require sustained diplomatic engagement by the UAE with Iran and other regional and international partners
Some of that engagement in the near term might be transactional by necessity, he said, without specifying what that might entail
Gargash also said the war demonstrated the importance of the UAE's defence and security cooperation with Washington and thanked France, Israel, Greece, Egypt and India for their "support and solidarity"
Some countries helped defend the UAE against Iranian attacks earlier this year
Gargash was speaking at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate
By Alexander Cornwell
The US Treasury has asked Iraq to close all border crossings with Iran except for two as part of Washington's policy of increasing economic pressure on Tehran, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was highly unlikely to order fresh attacks on Iran as long as talks to end the conflict progress, CNN reported.
Europeans will participate in talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi next week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Sunday.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.