Key facts
- The UAE is constructing alternative energy export and trade routes.
- These routes are intended to prevent disruption from the conflict with Iran.
- UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash stated that rebuilding trust with neighbors after attacks could take decades.
- Gargash criticized the collective response of Gulf Arab states to Iranian attacks as insufficient.
- The UAE had previously suspended financial and economic transactions with Iran.
The United Arab Emirates is actively developing alternative routes for its energy exports and trade to ensure continuity amidst the ongoing conflict with Iran, according to UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash. Speaking at the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi, Gargash emphasized that the nation's energy exports and trade activities would not be "held hostage."
The UAE has been expanding its port capacity on its eastern coast, alongside developing pipelines, railways, and other trade routes to establish these alternative corridors. Gargash acknowledged that while relations with Iran could potentially be restored, rebuilding trust with neighboring countries following the attacks might require decades.
He further criticized the response of other Gulf Arab states to the Iranian attacks, suggesting their collective action was inadequate. Gargash recalled a long-standing agreement among Gulf states regarding the nature of the challenge posed by Iran, but noted a failure to translate this understanding into a sufficiently unified and strategic response.