ABU DHABI: UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash criticized Tehran’s position in a statement posted on X, saying Iran was attempting to create “a new reality” after suffering military setbacks. He added that any effort to dominate the Strait of Hormuz or undermine the UAE’s maritime sovereignty was merely a “pipe dream.”
The comments came after Iran’s newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority released a map outlining what it described as its “regulatory jurisdiction” in the strategic waterway. According to the Iranian body, its authority stretches from Iran’s Kuh-e Mubarak area to waters south of Fujairah in the UAE, and from Qeshm Island to Umm Al-Quwain.
The authority further declared that all ships passing through the designated area of the Strait of Hormuz would require prior coordination and authorization from Iranian officials.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, and tensions have intensified since the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States earlier this year. Tehran has tightened oversight in the waterway and indicated plans to impose passage controls on commercial vessels.
Relations between Tehran and Abu Dhabi have deteriorated amid the regional conflict, especially after Iran launched missile and drone strikes targeting Gulf states following US-Israeli military actions.
In response to growing concerns over maritime security, the UAE has accelerated work on an alternative export route through Fujairah. Authorities announced plans to expand the West-East Pipeline project, which is expected to significantly boost ADNOC’s oil export capacity outside the Strait of Hormuz once completed next year.
Iran has repeatedly accused Gulf nations of assisting US military operations, allegations strongly denied by regional governments, which insist their territory and airspace are not being used for attacks against Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stated that dozens of ships, including oil tankers and Chinese vessels, had recently been permitted to transit through the strait under Iranian monitoring.
