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U.A.E. Wants to Force Hormuz Open and Is Willing to Join the Fight

Gulf state begins effort to persuade U.S. and others to open waterway by any means necessary


The United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the U.S. and other allies open the Strait of Hormuz by force, Arab officials said, a move that would make it the first Persian Gulf country to become a combatant, after being hit by Iranian attacks.

The U.A.E. is lobbying for a United Nations Security Council resolution that would authorize such action, the officials said. Emirati diplomats have urged the U.S. and military powers in Europe and Asia to form a coalition to open the strait by force, a U.A.E official said, adding that the Iranian regime thinks it is fighting for its existence and is willing to bring the global economy down with it in a chokehold on the strait.

The U.A.E. official said the country was actively reviewing how it could play a military role in securing the strait, including efforts to help clear it of mines and other support services.

The Gulf state has also said the U.S. should occupy islands in the strategic waterway including Abu Musa, which has been held by Iran for a half-century and is claimed by the U.A.E., some of the Arab officials said.

In a statement, the U.A.E. Foreign Ministry pointed to a separate resolution passed by the U.N. condemning Iran’s attacks on its cities and to one made by another U.N. body, the International Maritime Organization, condemning the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Emirati Foreign Ministry said there is “broad global consensus that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be preserved.”

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are now turning against Iran’s regime and want the war to continue until it is disabled or toppled, Arab officials said, though they have stopped short of committing their military. Bahrain, a close U.S. ally that hosts the Navy’s Fifth Fleet, is sponsoring the U.N. resolution, with a vote expected Thursday.…….

Russia and China could veto the resolution, and France is proposing a different version. Even if the resolution fails, the U.A.E. would still be prepared to join the war effort, the Gulf officials said.

Iran is insisting on permanent oversight including a system of tolls. The Gulf states fear any diplomatic resolution would implicitly give Iran a formal say over the administration of the waterway and want it dislodged by military action first, the Arab officials said.

It isn’t clear that military action could open the strait. Any operation would require controlling not just the waterway but also the territory along its 100-mile length, potentially with ground troops, military analysts said.

“I don’t think we can do it,” said Rep. Adam Smith (D., Wash.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. “All Iran has to do is be able to keep the strait under threat, which means they need one drone, they need one mine, they need one small suicide boat.”

Gulf states that support military action feel that the consequences of having a hostile neighbor controlling such a vital conduit make it worth the risk, the Arab officials said.

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I found this article which has one of those authors which mentions FPV drones using optical fibre (for 2-way communication) but it doesn't mention how long the fibre is. I would doubt very much that an FPV drone would carry 30-40km of fibre onboard to cross the Strait of Hormuz, it would be too heavy

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I found this article which has one of those authors which mentions FPV drones using optical fibre (for 2-way communication) but it doesn't mention how long the fibre is. I would doubt very much that an FPV drone would carry 30-40km of fibre onboard to cross the Strait of Hormuz, it would be too heavy

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