The Strait of Hormuz must be reopened using diplomatic and defensive means, Lana Nusseibeh, Minister of State, told The National.
Speaking on Tuesday in Brussels, where she was attending a EU-GCC security forum, Ms Nusseibeh reaffirmed that Iran should not be allowed to hold the vital waterway hostage.
She said she had held “very productive and constructive conversations” with EU officials about “practical steps we can take together to work towards a solution to this crisis”.
A framework agreement signed by the US and Iran in June appeared to unravel last week when American forces carried out strikes on Iranian territory in retaliation after Tehran attacked commercial ships in the strait.
US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Washington would begin to impose a toll on all ships crossing the strait. Iran responded by insisting that the US would have no role in managing the waterway, and that Mr Trump’s proposed fee – 20 per cent of the value of each vessel’s cargo – was unreasonably high.
Mr Trump said on social media yesterday that Gulf investment would replace the fee.
Reopening the strait is crucial for the global economy, with about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply and a third of fertiliser crossing the waterway before the war broke out in late February.
Diplomatic efforts
The UAE is committed to “diplomacy and diplomatic efforts” to reopen the strait, Ms Nusseibeh said. However, it is “also committed to being assertive about the fundamental principles of freedom of navigation”.
“Practically speaking, we need to see the Strait of Hormuz opened using all means necessary that are defensive, of course, which is what we have been doing,” she added.
The framework agreement required Iran to allow free transit through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days. Iran has claimed that it is permitted to decide what routes ships can take – something the US denies.
Ms Nusseibeh called for the Iran-US framework agreement to be revived as a matter of urgency, and for Iran to abide by its terms. “We need to see coalitions of countries come together with demining capabilities and naval capabilities to open the strait,” she added.
The UAE, which bore the brunt of Iran’s attacks on Gulf states during the first phase of the war, has called for a comprehensive solution to Iran’s nuclear, drone and ballistic missile programmes.
Several dozen European, Asian and Gulf states, led by France and the UK, have been working to establish a defensive naval coalition that could begin operating in the strait once the situation allows it to do so.
But the start of its mission remains suspended due to last week’s escalation.
There have also been discussions about expanding Operation Aspides, the EU’s naval mission in the Red Sea, to cover the Strait of Hormuz. However, EU member states have been reluctant to accept such a plan. The bloc’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas is set to visit the region in the coming days.
International Maritime Organisation secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said he was in talks with Oman on an initiative that could allow ships to resume crossing the strait.
Oman said last week that it was looking at “exploring voluntary arrangements relating to navigational support services” in the strait. Mr Dominguez told The National this could be a way forwards.
“We can look into mechanisms that work in accordance with international law to assist the countries that manage these straits in order to aid with navigation,” he said. “There are mechanisms like this around the world that the IMO has established with relevant countries. There is no reason we cannot look into those kind of measures here.”
Meanwhile, Gulf and European officials have been discussing the development of alternative shipping routes to bypass the strait.
At a meeting in France last month, G7 and Gulf leaders called for the accelerated “diversification of energy supply routes to reduce global vulnerability to the Strait of Hormuz and increase our energy stocks”.
Resilience
Ms Nusseibeh said route diversification was part of a continuing “strategic conversation”.
“Europe and the Gulf need to work away from chokepoint dependency towards resilience in supply chains, energy routes and market access,” she said.
The EU and Gulf states have worked to strengthen their political, security and trade relations in recent years, paving the way for the first joint leaders’ summit in Brussels in October 2024. A second meeting is scheduled to take place in Riyadh in November.
The UAE – the only GCC country with visa-free access to the Schengen area – is in the process of negotiating a free-trade agreement with the EU, with seven rounds of negotiations having taken place since April last year.
In Brussels, Ms Nusseibeh also took part in a second meeting of the Palestine Donor Group, which involved representatives of the US-led Board of Peace.
White House adviser Jared Kushner, who is Mr Trump’s son-in-law, represented the US at the meeting by video call.
The Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, briefed delegates on reforms implemented by the body, as well as its plans to hold presidential elections next year.
Ms Nusseibeh said it was important to continue focusing on Gaza despite the strait crisis.
She said that a UN Security Council Resolution that was passed in November, endorsing the Board of Peace and the establishment of a transitional committee to govern the enclave, is the “best plan” despite having been hampered by continued fighting between Hamas and Israel.
“We need to see the plan in Gaza actioned, with Hamas accepting the road map for decommissioning, and a move towards next steps of that plan,” she added.
“I think it is still the best plan we have in front of us, as the international community, to move from a terrible period of conflict and suffering, to one where we see Hamas decommissioning [its arms] in Gaza, and where we see the [National Committee for the Administration of Gaza] take over governance responsibilities.”