With Iranian missile attacks on its Arab neighbors, Iran is pressuring other nations to enter the current Middle East conflict, a new report said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the United Arab Emirates is ready to join an international alliance to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump has sought to forge an alliance of NATO members to ensure safe passage for oil tankers through the strait, but NATO has been cold to the concept.
But the UAE would like to have a coalition of European and Asian nations use force to open the strait, which Iran closed at the start of the war.
Exclusive: The United Arab Emirates wants to force the Strait of Hormuz open and is ready to join the fight https://t.co/80M2UI8Bq5
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 1, 2026
The Wall Street Journal quoted a UAE official as saying that Iran’s perspective is that it is “willing to bring the global economy down with it in a chokehold on the strait.”
The UAE also supports an American presence in the strait through the control of islands that include Abu Musa, used as a base by Iran and also claimed by the UAE.
The nation’s foreign ministry said there is “broad global consensus that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be preserved.”
🚨 BREAKING: The UAE has now banned all Iranians from entering or transiting the country. pic.twitter.com/Z685C9mF6E
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 31, 2026
The Wall Street Journal report said Arab nations have turned on Iran after being attacked, and want its teeth drawn so that the attacks of the past weeks cannot happen again.
Iran has stepped up missile attacks, with 50 attacks by ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones against the UAE on Tuesday.
Overall, Iran has sent nearly 2,500 missiles at the tiny UAE.
The UAE is being careful not to step out ahead of events for fear of facing Iran alone.
“They could step into this war only to face a more aggressive Iran, continue to absorb hits to critical infrastructure and potentially investor confidence, and then struggle to rebuild ties with their neighbor, particularly if Trump elects to declare victory before reopening the strait or crippling Iran’s missile and drone capabilities,” Elizabeth Dent, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said.
A United Nations resolution to form an alliance to open the strait is expected to be debated on Thursday.
“The U.S. should support real change in Iran. A free, secular Iran could become a strong and reliable ally of the United States, Israel, and Arab nations unlike unreliable European partners.#KingRezaPahlavi #FREEIRAN https://t.co/CTx06LavBY
— R (@PayamiRoshi) April 1, 2026
An Associated Press report said that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain have joined with the UAE in asking that the pummeling of Iran continue until they are safe from Iranian attack.
“An Iranian regime that launches ballistic missiles at homes, weaponizes global trade and supports proxies is no longer an acceptable feature of the regional landscape,” Noura Al Kaabi, a minister at the UAE’s foreign ministry, said in a published opinion piece. “We want a guarantee that this will never happen again.”
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