UAE willing to join international force to reopen Strait of Hormuz, FT reports

The United Arab Emirates is pressing allies to form a multinational maritime task force to restore free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reports, as Tehran’s actions have sharply curtailed shipping in the vital Gulf waterway.

Abu Dhabi has told the United States and other Western governments that it would participate in such a coalition and would contribute vessels from its own navy, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The proposal aims to ensure safe passage for commercial shipping without provoking broader conflict with Iran. “The focus is on creating as broad an international force as possible,” one official involved in talks told the FT.

The UAE and Bahrain are also working on a United Nations Security Council resolution to give any future task force a formal mandate, though the effort could face opposition from Russia and China.

Iran’s attacks on shipping have reduced traffic through Hormuz — a chokepoint for about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas — to a fraction of normal levels, raising costs and disrupting supply chains.

Gulf states, which had urged restraint at the start of the conflict, now see naval escorts as the only reliable way to keep the strait open, with the UAE and Bahrain taking the lead in backing the initiative.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration is working toward restoring free transit “as quickly as we can,” while the UAE has been urging dozens of countries to back a “Hormuz Security Force” that would defend the waterway from attacks and escort commercial vessels.

Senior Emirati minister Sultan al‑Jaber told US officials this week that Iran is effectively holding the strait “hostage,” with global economic consequences.

So far, most NATO allies have been reluctant to join such an effort, and no broad coalition has yet materialized. Saudi Arabia and other potential partners have not publicly committed, even as Gulf leaders debate how to balance pressure on Iran with the risk of being drawn further into the conflict.