As Iran seizes tankers in the Gulf, the UAE pulls back from the US-led naval force
The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday it was no longer participating in a United States-led maritime security force, the latest indication of tensions between Washington and key Persian Gulf allies who complain America has not done enough to protect them from Iranian threats.
The unusual public statement came after Iran seized two commercial tankers in rapid succession in waterways near the Emirates over the past two months. The Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country “withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces” two months ago as a result of our ongoing review of effective security cooperation with all partners.
Political analysts say the Emirati statement could be intended as a message to the United States that the country is dissatisfied with the level of US protection for its allies in the Persian Gulf against threats from Iran and should look out for its own interests. Officials from the Emirates and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly expressed frustration with US policy towards Iran.
“They were dissatisfied with the Americans, and if the UAE are not happy, they are very resolute,” said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an Emirati political scientist.
Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, said the UAE remained a “partner” in the force even though it had suspended its participation.
“As for their participation as partners, we will leave it to our individual partners to talk about that,” he said, adding that the Emirates “have provisionally withdrawn their participation in the task forces, but not their overall membership.”
Withdrawing from the group will not leave the UAE defenseless against Iran and other threats.
The headquarters of the Combined Maritime Forces is located at the US Naval Base in Bahrain. The group brings together more than 30 countries operating in the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa to protect trade flow and discourage illegal activities such as piracy. Participation is voluntary.
In April, Iran seized an oil tanker chartered by Chevron en route from Kuwait to Houston. Days later, Iranian speedboats surrounded an oil tanker after it left Dubai, the largest city in the Emirates and a global trade hub. The ship was forced to divert to Iranian territorial waters.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US naval forces in the region, said this month that US warships had increased their patrols through the Strait of Hormuz, the busy maritime thoroughfare of the Persian Gulf, in response to Iran’s moves.
“Iran’s actions are unacceptable,” he said in an interview.
Last week, however, Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, a naval commander in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, lashed out in his own statement, saying the United States “should not have a presence in our region.”
“The security of the Persian Gulf is provided by Iran and the countries in the region, and there is no need for you or any other country to be present,” he said.
Like their counterparts in other Persian Gulf states, Emirati officials are trying to strike a delicate balance between deterring Iran and easing tensions with Iran.
Emirati officials have maintained open relations with Iran and have exchanged visits between senior officials this year.
Yet Iranian-backed militias, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, have repeatedly launched attacks on the UAE and neighboring Saudi Arabia, including drone and missile strikes.
Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington, Leily Nikounazar from Brussels and Ahmad Al Omran from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.