WASHINGTON/DUBAI, May 1 (Reuters) – A senior United Arab Emirates official said on Friday that Iran cannot be trusted with any unilateral deal for the Strait of Hormuz, a sign of deep distrust on all sides as efforts to end the war in the Middle East remain at an impasse.
Two months after the conflict began, the vital shipping channel is still largely closed due to an Iranian blockade and the US Navy is blocking exports of Iranian crude oil.
A ceasefire has been in effect since April 8, but news that US President Donald Trump would be briefed on plans for new military strikes to force Iran into negotiations sent global oil prices soaring to a four-year high on Thursday.
Continues after advertising
Iran has activated air defenses and plans a broad response if attacked, having assessed that there will be a short, intense US attack, possibly followed by an Israeli strike, two Iranian sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Washington has not said what its next steps are. Trump said on Tuesday he was dissatisfied with Iran’s latest proposal, and mediator Pakistan did not set a date for further talks on ending a war that has killed thousands, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.
Following US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28, Iran fired at US-linked bases, infrastructure and companies in the Gulf countries, while the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel, which responded with attacks on Lebanon.
Highlighting the concerns of Gulf countries, UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash said that ‘collective international will and the provisions of international law’ are the main guarantors of freedom of navigation through the strait.
“And, of course, no unilateral agreement from Iran can be trusted after its treasonous aggression against all its neighbors,” Gargash wrote.
Trump faces a formal U.S. deadline this Friday to end the war or present the case to Congress to extend it under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.
Continues after advertising
The date appears set to pass without altering the course of the war after a senior government official said that for the purposes of the resolution, hostilities had ended due to the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
