Axios, citing two knowledgeable sources, reported that Steve Witkoff, special envoy of Trump, discussed with Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, in Sardinia island over the weekend about the next steps regarding the Islamic Republic.

The meeting took place a few days after the announcement of the “economic expulsion operation” of the Islamic Republic by Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary. According to a source, Bessent had spoken with Tahnoun bin Zayed before announcing this plan.

Axios wrote that UAE officials told the Trump administration that the campaign of economic pressure to be effective must include all the major countries that do business with the Islamic Republic.

According to sources, an Iranian delegation traveled to Abu Dhabi on 20 Mordad to talk with UAE officials and, while requesting help to provide food and medicine, asked that the UAE not cooperate with U.S. sanctions, a request that was rejected.

Axios added that a few days later, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intensified attacks on oil tankers of the National Oil Company of the UAE, and UAE officials decided to suspend commercial relations with Iran. The upcoming U.S. secondary sanctions were also one of the factors influencing this decision, but not the main reason.