The United Arab Emirates appears ready to shift from bystander to battlefield player in the showdown over the Strait of Hormuz. Arab officials say the UAE is urging the UN Security Council to approve military action to reopen the choke point and has offered to join a US-led coalition to do it, including helping clear mines and providing support services, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Gulf state has even suggested the US seize key islands in the waterway, including Abu Musa, long controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE. The move by the United Arab Emirates, which could make it the first Persian Gulf nation to become an official combatant in the conflict, marks a sharp break from Dubai's long-standing role as a commercial lifeline for Tehran and comes after a surge in Iranian missile and drone strikes that have hit UAE infrastructure and tourism.
A UAE official later stressed that the country remains in a "defensive posture," calling the Journal article "misleading," per the Times of Israel. The official said the UAE would act only with international partners and under international law. The AP reports that other Gulf nations, including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, have also noted in closed-door talks that, despite their initial irritation at not having much advance notice about the war, "they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there's a dramatic shift in Iranian behavior." Gulf officials say that even if a UN resolution is blocked, Abu Dhabi is prepared to join an operation to force the strait open, per the Journal—despite warnings that such a campaign could fail militarily and damage investor confidence.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
