UAE urges diplomatic breakthrough in US-Iran talks, cautions it is ‘braced for the worst’
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- Indirect talks continue via Qatari mediation, with Iranian envoys visiting the Gulf following earlier consultations in Tehran aimed at de-escalating the conflict
- American officials emphasized that negotiation channels remain open, but warned Washington will not allow Tehran to hold the global economy hostage, noting readiness to pursue alternative options
The United Arab Emirates is urging a diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran while remaining prepared for worst-case scenarios, a senior official said Sunday.
Speaking at a security conference in Manama, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the Emirati president, underscored the need to halt further military escalation.
"We're hoping that there is a diplomatic breakthrough," Gargash said. "It is not the interest of the region to go through another round... But I think we're also, as we've shown before, braced for the worst."
Following visits by a Qatari delegation to Tehran, Iranian envoys were dispatched to continue indirect consultations aimed at charting a path toward ending the war.
Despite those diplomatic tracks, Washington has maintained a firm rhetorical stance. US President Donald Trump reiterated over the weekend that the United States still has "one or two targets" in Iran that could be addressed militarily, highlighting operational readiness if diplomatic tracks fail.
Addressing the Manama conference on Sunday, US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Donald Blome outlined Washington's dual-track approach of active engagement alongside deterrence.
"We just can't allow Iran to take this region and the global economy hostage," Blome stated. "The hand of negotiation has been extended, and those channels have continued to be open and active at the same time. We've been also prepared to go in another direction."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Saturday that President Trump has not yet made a definitive determination regarding fresh military action against Iranian sites, maintaining that the administration remains open to a diplomatic resolution provided US core security interests are respected.
The broader conflict broke out on Feb. 28 following joint US-'Israeli' military operations against targets in Iran, prompting retaliatory Iranian strikes that affected Washington-aligned Gulf states.
