UAE Adviser Warns Military Action Offers No Swift Exit from Iran Crisis, Urging Diplomacy

MANAMA, Bahrain — UAE presidential adviser said Sunday that the country hopes a diplomatic breakthrough through Qatar‑mediated talks can prevent another U.S.–Iran confrontation.

The Iran war, which started on Feb. 28 with joint strikes by the United States and Israel followed by Iranian attacks on Gulf nations, has become “a watershed year” for the region and the world, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said at a security forum in Bahrain.

“We don’t really want to see another round of confrontation in the region,” Gargash told delegates at the Manama Dialogue, an annual security summit organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) that gathers regional and international government, defense and foreign‑affairs officials and experts.

Iranian negotiators are in Qatar for talks on a proposal that could soon reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. He added that no direct talks with the United States are underway and that the final outcome hinges on U.S. responses to Iran’s “questions.”

In an interview posted on his Telegram channel, Araghchi said Iran hopes the United States will choose “diplomacy over other paths.” He added that Iran is prepared for both defense and diplomacy, contingent on Washington’s “rationality.”

The prospect of escalation cast a long shadow over the three‑day security forum in Manama, Bahrain’s capital.

Gargash, the UAE adviser, said the current crisis demands “a lot of wisdom, with political tools being our main instruments, and the understanding that military solutions will only complicate an already complex situation and will not provide any quick off‑ramps.”

Gargash, however, acknowledged that “the rules of logic” show the United States and Iran remain far apart in their positions.

“If these positions are not bridged, we must worry about the worst,” Gargash said.

He said it is not in the interest of the region or Iran to endure another round of war.

Other Gulf and Arab officials echoed this sentiment at the forum.

Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty told the gathering a day earlier: “The second round of escalation will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere.”

Gargash added that his country and the region are prepared for the possibility of escalation.

Before a ceasefire in April, the UAE endured the largest wave of airborne attacks from Iran, with over 3,000 drones and ballistic missiles targeting airports, military and oil facilities, according to IISS. Most of those strikes were intercepted.

Since then, Gulf nations have invested billions of dollars to enhance their defense capabilities.

Gargash said the war has solidified U.S.-UAE relations, making them “even more important” and central to the UAE’s ability to defend itself.

At the conference, Bahraini Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said his country also welcomes “every effort to reduce tensions, prevent escalation and create opportunities for dialogue.”

Al Zayani said Iran has demonstrated what he described as a pattern of attacks or threats targeting sea, air and data facilities that endanger the region’s and the world’s stability and prosperity.

He said Iran has continued these actions even after the ceasefire and as recently as last month, threatening underwater data cables. He cited attacks by Iran‑backed Houthi rebels on neighboring Saudi Arabia as part of this pattern.

“These attacks are part of one continued pattern,” he said. “The hands may change, but the approach does not.”

At the height of the conflict, Iran fired 500 drones and nearly 200 ballistic missiles toward Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, according to IISS. The strikes hit the naval base, residential buildings, the financial district and a water desalination plant.

This summer, Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and airports, stating they are in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa airport. The Houthis have struck critical oil pipelines and disrupted air traffic in the kingdom.

A key theme at the forum was the lack of a coordinated defense response among the six‑member Gulf Cooperation Council, comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.

At the height of the war with Iran, Gulf countries that bore the brunt of Iranian strikes responded at the national level, each coordinating with U.S. command and control centers in the region. According to IISS, this sometimes hindered their overall defensive effort.

Gargash offered a rare candid criticism.

“I have to come and say that we have not collectively risen to the challenge. Nationally, we have. Each state independently has, or sometimes in terms of bilateral cooperation,” Gargash said. “In one of our most critical crises, we collectively have not risen to the challenge.”

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