Ghaida Ghantous, Aziz El Yaakoubi

DUBAI (Reuters – As it seeks to prevent a regional conflict which could threaten its tourism and trade ambitions, the United Arab Emirates has been negotiating a delicate diplomatic relationship between Washington, Israel and Iran.

Abu Dhabi will host Israel’s prime Minister this week. The United States delegation will be visiting the UAE to inform companies about Iran’s nuclear activities and to provide advice. In a bid for a better relationship and to contain tensions, the Gulf state sent a high-ranking official to Tehran last Wednesday.

According to Emirati diplomats, analysts, and regional diplomats, the UAE’s new approach to foreign policy is marked by the whirlwind of diplomacy. This follows a decade of military adventures, including those in Yemen, Libya, and Yemen.

Anwar Gargash, a senior UAE official said that the UAE must avoid major conflicts that could embroil America or other countries in the area. He spoke to a U.S-based think tank on Thursday. We want to avoid this at all cost.

Recently, the United States and Israel increased their rhetorical pressure on Iran regarding potential economic or military consequences if efforts are made to salvage 2015’s nuclear deal.

Both Washington and Tehran are being re-committed to the 2015 pact by world powers. The pact was cancelled in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump. Reimposing sanctions, Tehran began to violate the 2015 nuclear limit agreement.

Abu Dhabi, which has forged close ties to Israel over the past year, is concerned about Iran’s nukes and missiles programme. It is trying to strike a balance between reducing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and protecting the country’s economic interests post COVID-19, in light of the increasing competition for resources in the region.

It is now that we need to stop escalating, and not escalate. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a UAE political analyst, said that if Israel is feeling this way we will not share it.

Gargash was the UAE’s diplomatic advisor and told the Arab Gulf States Institute, that Washington does not want to see another conflict such as the one in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Iran denies any suspicions by the West that it seeks atomic weapons. It claims its nuclear activities are civilian in nature. Iran claims it has complied with the 2015 agreement in good faith and would like all US sanctions to be lifted after Trump reneged on the deal.

AMERICA IS A ‘ABSOLUTE PREFERENCE’

While the UAE and Saudi Arabia are pressing international powers to confront Iran’s missile program and regional behavior, they remain wary of another attack on oil tankers in Gulf waters or on Saudi oil facilities. This was after the UAE attacked more than 50% of its crude production and forced it to temporarily close down.

According to Neil Quilliam (a Chatham House associate fellow), the UAE must “hedge as much as possible to offset Iranian punitive acts, but it is clear that its relationship to the U.S. remains absolute priority.”

While the security needs of Gulf states are very dependent upon the United States, there is increasing uncertainty about the U.S. role in regional affairs. After normalization of ties between Israel and Bahrain, Israel discussed the possibility of setting up joint defences.

At the end of Trump’s presidency, the UAE agreed to purchase F-35 fighter planes, drones, and other defense equipment from the United States. The deal was worth $23 billion. The sales of F-35 fighter jets, drones and other defense equipment have been slowing since then due to concerns from the United States about UAE’s ties with China. China is a key Emirati trading partner.

Gargash claimed that after Washington expressed concern about Chinese facilities in Emirati ports, the UAE stopped all work.

Gargash indicated that the UAE is looking for a “common economic basis” in order to increase ties to Iran, Turkey, and Syria while Abu Dhabi maintains its relations with Israel.

Washington’s economic pressure is evident when Andrea Gacki, a Treasury official, is set to visit UAE Monday in a delegation. She will be meeting with representatives of private financial institutions as well as firms from the private sector.

According to World Bank data, Iran lost $7 billion to its UAE exports in 2019, after the UAE was once a key link to the rest of the world. These flows have begun to recover.

Abdulla, an analyst, stated that there is no desire in the UAE to impose further economic sanctions on Iran.

He said, “We’ve done our jobs and have been compliant for the last five to six years.” But enough is enough. Abu Dhabi does not have the energy or will to support additional sanctions. It is clear.”