UAE Adviser Warns Military Options Fail to Resolve Iran Conflict
Gulf officials meet in Bahrain as negotiators seek a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the UAE citing 3,000 past Iranian strikes as a benchmark for regional readiness.
By Nikolai Morales ·
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash told the Manama Dialogue that military force offers no quick solution to the ongoing crisis with Iran. He argued that political tools remain the primary mechanism for resolving the conflict, noting that military action only complicates the current situation without providing immediate relief.
Gargash stated that the war, which began on Feb. 28 with joint U.S. and Israeli strikes, has become a defining moment for the region. He expressed a desire to avoid a new round of confrontation, though he acknowledged that the positions of Washington and Tehran remain far apart. If those gaps are not closed, he warned, the region must prepare for the worst outcome.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Iranian negotiators are in Qatar discussing a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi said no direct talks are currently happening with the United States. He added that the final result depends on how Washington answers specific questions from Iran, while expressing hope that the U.S. chooses diplomacy over other paths.
The potential for escalation cast a shadow over the three-day forum in Manama. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warned the group that a second round of escalation would be more dangerous and destructive. Gargash echoed this sentiment, saying it is not in the interest of the region or Iran to withstand another war. However, he noted that his country and the region are braced for the possibility of further conflict.
The UAE faced the heaviest burden of airborne attacks during the previous phase of the war. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Iran launched more than 3,000 drone and ballistic missile attacks targeting airports, military sites, and oil facilities in the UAE before an April ceasefire. Most of those attacks were intercepted, but the scale of the threat has driven Gulf nations to spend billions of dollars on defense upgrades.
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said his country welcomes efforts to reduce tensions and prevent escalation. He described Iran as following a pattern of attacks on sea, air, and data facilities that threaten regional stability. Zayani pointed to recent threats against underwater data cables and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as evidence of this continued pattern, stating that while the actors may change, the approach remains the same.
A lack of coordinated defense among the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council dominated discussions at the forum. During the height of the war, each nation operated independently with U.S. command and control centers, a structure that IISS said sometimes hindered the overall defensive effort. Gargash offered a candid assessment of this gap, stating that while each state rose to the challenge individually, the group collectively has not.
At the peak of the conflict, Iran fired 500 drones and nearly 200 ballistic missiles toward Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Those attacks struck the naval base, residential buildings, the financial district, and a water desalination plant. This summer, Houthi rebels also escalated attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and airports, disrupting air traffic and hitting critical pipelines in response to Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa airport.
