It looks like our Gulf allies are braver than our European allies when it comes to dealing with Iran.
Of course, Iran is closer and right in their face, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has had enough of being fired on by Iran. They've actually been hit more times than Israel, and they're not happy about it. They've said they support our military actions against the Iranian regime. They previously had been considering escorting ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
But now they're reportedly willing to go further. They're stepping up not just with words, but with force, if need be, to open the Strait.
The United Arab Emirates is pushing for the US to forcefully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and is willing to assist in such a military operation, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night.
The report said the Gulf state is also seeking a UN Security Council Resolution that would green-light such an operation, as it faces continued Iranian attacks.
An Emirati official told the Journal that the country’s diplomats have urged the US, along with unspecified European and Asian military powers, to establish a coalition to forcefully open Hormuz, and the UAE is looking into what military contributions it can make to help break Iran’s grip on the strait.
The UAE foreign ministry didn't deny it and said there was a “broad global consensus that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be preserved.” It's completely understandable, given their situation. The Gulf States want to make sure that Iran is checked so they don't do this again. They don't want to keep having to deal with getting hit with missiles. They don't trust the Iranian regime.
So this reported military move by the UAE increases the options the U.S. has, should we need them, but it also ramps up the pressure on Iran that they're not just going to be able to roll over everybody in trying to control the Strait. Trump has indicated we've largely hit our military objectives of Operation Epic Fury, so we'll have to see what the next move is. We've been pounding them into next week, so their military capacity has been severely degraded, including their navy and ability to defend themselves in the Strait.
The answer, of course, when it comes to the Strait, is to have the world come together on a continuing effort to keep it open to stop Iran from making trouble and ensure the free flow. The United Nations is generally useless, but put a U.N. force there. Plus, expand on the other options to bypass the Strait to diminish its importance in the world for the future. Remove the play from the terrorist handbook, then they don't have much they can do besides rant and post AI videos on X, and they can't do this again.