Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Sep 7
UAE Builds Alternative Export Routes as 6-Month Iran War Threatens Hormuz
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Sep 7

UAE Builds Alternative Export Routes as 6-Month Iran War Threatens Hormuz

3 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Sep 7

Summary

  • The UAE said it is expanding eastern-coast ports and developing pipelines, railways and trade corridors to keep energy exports and trade flowing despite the US-Iran war.
  • Iranian missile strikes on the UAE and attacks on its oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz drove the push, with Abu Dhabi saying its exports will not be "held hostage" by the conflict.
  • Anwar Gargash said trust with Iran could take decades to rebuild, even if functional ties recover; the UAE already suspended all financial and economic transactions with Tehran in August.
  • The 6-month conflict has also sharpened Gulf doubts about relying on Washington alone, with UAE and Qatari officials calling for stronger national and regional security capabilities.
  • Hormuz remains a central obstacle in US-Iran talks after Iran carried out its closure threat, disrupting a route that once handled about 20% of global energy supplies.

Insights

If the UAE successfully bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, will Iran target these new pipelines to maintain its leverage?
Does the Gulf's massive push for infrastructure independence signal the end of relying on American security guarantees in the Middle East?
Can alternative ports handle the massive cargo overflow before global supply chains buckle under the pressure of maritime diversions?