UAE's Gargash: Gulf Wants Diplomacy, Not Another Round of Confrontation
UAE adviser Anwar Gargash tells the Manama Dialogue the Gulf wants a political resolution of the crisis. He admits the GCC has “not collectively risen to the challenge.”
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UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash says the Gulf does not want “another round of confrontation in the region.” He says the UAE and its neighbors want a “diplomatic and political resolution” of the protracted crisis.
Gargash spoke at the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on Sunday, Nov. 1. We checked the quotes below against DWS News’ video of his remarks and its auto-captions.
“No War, No Peace”
Gargash described a “fog of war” and said the Iranian and American positions are “far apart.” If they are not bridged, “we have to worry about the worst,” he said. He hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough before that.
Another round would not serve the region “and indeed not the interest of Iran,” he said. He pointed to Qatar’s mediation. He added that the UAE is “braced for the worst” and ready to protect its citizens and residents.
He ended with a warning. The UAE does not believe a military solution is viable, he said. But “this is not a given” if political overtures fail.
Hormuz and the US
Gargash called a return to the pre-war status quo in the Strait of Hormuz “important and non-negotiable.” The Gulf should not bear the cost of “a crisis that we did not create,” he said.
He said the crisis has “concretized” UAE ties with the United States and made them “even more important.” They sit at the heart of the UAE’s security calculus, he said, behind its own political will and air defenses.
The GCC “has Not Risen”
Gargash made a blunt admission about the Gulf Cooperation Council. “We have not collectively risen to the challenge,” he said. Individual states and bilateral cooperation did better, he added.
He said repeating “Gulf solidarity” is not enough. Confidence in the bloc’s collective ability has “in many cases proven to be hollow,” he said. Rebuilding it will take many years.
He made a similar point on Oct. 12. Writing on X, he said “our security is indivisible” and urged revived joint Gulf defense action, Khaleej Times reported.
Iran: Relations Versus Trust
Iran is a neighbor, and economic ties will resume at some stage, Gargash said. Relations already run through mediators. “What really has been broken is the confidence,” he said.
He said Iran’s attacks on the Gulf shook that trust, not any Gulf action. Rebuilding it will take “an extremely long time,” he said. He also questioned whether regional middle powers can bridge the crisis, which he called mainly an Iran–US matter.
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
Gargash praised Bahrain for withstanding Iranian attacks, mainly on civilian infrastructure. He also stood with Saudi Arabia. “Nobody can in any way justify an attack on civilian airports and civilian infrastructure,” he said.
He did not name the attackers in the passage we reviewed. Yemen’s Houthis struck Riyadh’s King Khalid airport on Oct. 10, killing 13 people, Khaleej Times reported. The Houthis said they were retaliating for Saudi air strikes, the BBC reported.
Where the Diplomacy Stands
Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Sunday for a third day of talks with Qatari mediators, Reuters reported. The talks are coordinated with Washington. Fears of renewed fighting center on the Nov. 3 US midterm elections.
Trump says the US will not attack Iran before the vote, but has not ruled it out afterward, Reuters reported. He called Netanyahu as he weighs renewed bombing. Security chief Mohsen Rezaei has also threatened America if war starts.
The sides disagree on sequencing. Iran wants the US blockade lifted, assets unfrozen and an Iranian-backed Hormuz route approved first. A Qatari seven-day confidence plan reportedly does not satisfy Tehran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
Saudi Voices at Manama
Saudi Vice Admiral Fahd al-Ghufaili said on Sunday that “maritime security is not the responsibility of a single country.” He added that “force cannot be a substitute for law,” Al Arabiya reported.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Walid al-Khuraiji spoke on Saturday. He urged joint action on shipping through Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and the Red Sea, Alwassat reported.
Saudi Arabia and 13 other states formed a maritime defense coalition on July 30. It covers Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The UAE is not on the founding list published by Arab News.
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