UAE could join international effort led by US to secure Strait of Hormuz, says adviser

The United Arab Emirates could join a U.S.-led effort to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Emirati official said Tuesday, as fighting between Israel, the United States and Iran entered its third week.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said discussions were ongoing but no formal plan had been agreed.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure the flow of trade, the flow of energy,” Gargash said at an online event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S.-based think tank.

He said that once the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran ends, an arrangement would be needed to ensure Iran cannot use its nuclear, missile or drone programs “to terrorize the region.”

Concerns have mounted over security in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway between Iran and Oman through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Iran has effectively blocked the strait.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged allies to deploy warships to escort tankers through the route.

Fujairah port disrupted in third attack

Oil loading at the UAE port of Fujairah was at least partly halted Tuesday after a third attack in four days caused a fire at the export terminal. Fujairah is located outside the Strait of Hormuz, allowing shipments to bypass the blockaded passage.

UAE authorities said debris from an intercepted ballistic missile fell in Abu Dhabi’s Bani Yas area, killing one Pakistani national. A fire caused by a drone attack was also being fought at Abu Dhabi’s Shah gas field.

Iran has carried out wide-ranging attacks on Gulf neighbors, according to Gulf Arab states. The states say they have faced more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. diplomatic missions and military bases, as well as oil infrastructure, ports, airports, ships and residential and commercial buildings.

Israel targets Iran’s security officials

In Israel, the military said Tuesday it had killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s security chief and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. If confirmed, he would be the most senior Iranian figure targeted since the first day of the war.

Iran did not immediately comment on Israel’s announcement.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces also killed Gholamreza Soleimani, who led the Basij militia, a volunteer force involved in domestic security.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video on X alongside U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, saying he had “erased two names” from a list of targets and signaling that more remained.

Netanyahu has said Israel is weakening Iran’s leadership to give its people the opportunity to topple the government.

A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had rejected proposals conveyed by intermediary countries to reduce tensions or agree to a ceasefire with the United States.

The official said Khamenei had held his first foreign policy session since being named supreme leader last week after his father was killed. He declared it was not “the right time for peace until the United States and Israel are brought to their knees, accept defeat, and pay compensation,” the official said.

The official did not say whether Khamenei attended the meeting in person or remotely.

The war has killed at least 2,000 people, according to figures cited by the parties. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said Monday that more than 1,300 people had been killed and 7,000 injured in Iran.

In Lebanon, more than 900 people have died since Israel began attacks on March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Tuesday.

Rising tensions fuel oil price spike

In Israel, Iranian missile attacks have killed 12 people, according to Israeli authorities. Air raid sirens sounded throughout the day Tuesday in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas, with interceptions heard as far as Jerusalem.

The Israeli military said it was launching a new wave of strikes targeting what it described as Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran, as well as Hezbollah sites in Beirut.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel had, “in effect already won the war,” but did not provide a timeline for its end.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters that no country was ready to risk lives to protect the strait.

“We have to find diplomatic ways to keep this open so that we don’t have a food crisis, fertilizers crisis, energy crisis as well,” Kallas said.

Trump said most NATO allies had informed the United States they did not want to get involved. He described their stance as “a very foolish mistake” in a post on Truth Social, also singling out Japan, Australia and South Korea.

Oil prices rose about 2% Tuesday as Iran renewed strikes on oil facilities in the UAE. Prices are up around 45% since the start of the war, raising concerns about global inflation.