🔶 Intense US–UAE consultations about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz

Amid the escalation of the Iran crisis and the efforts of Donald Trump’s administration to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, senior officials in the United States and the United Arab Emirates have increased their consultations.

The UAE’s official news agency “WAM” reported on Thursday, 12 Shahrivar (3 September) that Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and Donald Trump, President of the United States, held talks by telephone about developments in the Middle East and bilateral cooperation.

At the same time, two sources familiar with the matter told the news portal “Axios” that last weekend, Steve Witkoff, a White House envoy, met with Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser, on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea. The meeting had not been officially announced by the White House, and before this report was published, there was no coverage of it.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Witkoff and Sheikh Tahnoun discussed next steps in the Iran crisis and other regional issues. These negotiations took place while the Trump administration, at the same time, is seeking to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and increase economic pressure on Tehran.