Gargash: UAE could join US-led effort to secure Strait of Hormuz

The United Arab Emirates could take part in a US-led effort to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed said, though he added no formal plan had been agreed and discussions were ongoing.

"We all have a responsibility to ensure the flow of trade, the flow of energy," he said at an online event hosted by the American think tank the Council on Foreign Relations.

Gargash also said that once the US-Israeli war with Iran ends, an arrangement would be needed to ensure that Iran cannot use its nuclear, missile or drone programmes "to terrorise the region".

Concerns have mounted over the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked, and as President Donald Trump has sought to rally countries to deploy warships to escort tankers through the strategic waterway.