UAE Halts Participation in US-Led Maritime Coalition

Facts

• Following a series of oil tanker seizures by Iranian naval forces in recent weeks, the UAE on Wednesday announced that it has stopped participating in a US-led coalition to protect Gulf shipping.¹
• The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country effectively withdrew from the coalition two months ago, following an "ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation."²
• The coalition, called the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), is a 34-nation task force headquartered at the US naval base in Bahrain. Its mission is to focus on maritime security issues in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf regions.³
• While the Wall Street Journal claimed the UAE was "frustrated" with the US' lack of response surrounding recent seizures of oil tankers by Iran, a spokesperson described the allegation as a "mischaracterization."⁴
• Five weeks ago, for example, Iran seized two tankers in Gulf waters near the Strait of Hormuz, the second of which, called the Niovi, had been traveling from Dubai in the Gulf toward the UAE's Arabian Sea port of Fujairah.¹
• Earlier this month, the US said it would increase its maritime military presence in the Gulf following aggression by Iran. In response to the UAE's decision, a CMF spokesperson confirmed that, while no longer participating, the UAE remained an official member of the partnership.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Al Jazeera, ³PressTV, ⁴The Cradle, and ⁵Firstpost.

Narratives

• Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by Tehran Times. The UAE's withdrawal from this US-led maritime coalition is another indication of the region moving away from American hegemony. Longtime allies have become exasperated by Washington's inability to take initiative, and the UAE has finally decided to follow many others in resuming and improving diplomatic relations with Iran.
• Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Tehran is currently heading towards its own hegemonic goals in the Middle East relatively unopposed, and it is now time for a new Western hardline strategy against the state. The US must now check Iran's growing confidence, rebuild ties with pro-Western states in the region, and no longer answer Iranian questions with anemic responses.

Predictions