A senior Emirati official on Thursday dismissed Iran’s claim of authority over Emirati waters in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a “pipe dream,” according to Arab News.
These remarks followed an announcement issued by an Iranian body tasked with overseeing traffic through the strategic waterway.
“The regime is trying to establish a new reality born from a clear military defeat, but attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or infringe on the UAE’s maritime sovereignty are nothing but pipe dreams,” said the United Arab Emirates’ presidential adviser Anwar Gargash in a post on X.
War in Iran
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East.
Iran has been responding with a retaliatory counterattack in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East, leaving thousands dead, triggering unprecedented disruptions to energy supplies especially after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The adversaries remain locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran tightens its control over maritime traffic while the United States continues to enforce a blockade on Iranian ports.
New Regulatory Jurisdiction
Iran’s newly established authority overseeing the Strait of Hormuz claimed that its sphere of control extends into UAE territorial waters.
This claim has triggered a strong condemnation from the Gulf state.
Accompanied by a map published on X on Wednesday, the newly-established Arabian Gulf Strait Authority announced that it had determined what it labeled as the “regulatory jurisdiction for the management” of the Strait of Hormuz.
The authority also noted that the zone spans from a line stretching between Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran and the southern coast of Fujairah in the UAE, to another linking the tip of Iran’s Qeshm Island with the emirate of Umm Al Quwain.
It further added that any transit through the designated zone en route to the Strait of Hormuz would require prior coordination as well as approval from the Arabian Gulf Strait Authority.
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