The United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh launched an appeal to the world to force Iran lift its stranglehold of the Strait of Hormuz vital shipping waterway.
In wide-ranging interview with Euronews in Abu Dhabi, the UAE Minister of State at the UAE Foreign Ministry said “Iran must not be allowed to hold the global economy hostage by its rogue state behaviour.”
As the Iran war keeps escalating, Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman which carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, is sending shockwaves around the world both through global energy markets, but also posing a growing a major threat to global food security.
In the Euronews interview, Nusseibeh warned that the consequences of disruption extend far beyond the region, saying that “globally, about 20% of the world’s energy supplies travel through that narrow waterway.”
“If that is disrupted, it has an impact on not only global energy prices but global food security and food supplies and that will also impact bills in grocery stores, bills in petrol stations, and the price of food,” the UAE minister told Euronews.
Nusseibeh added that the UAE continues its sustained efforts to respond to the developing global energy crisis, emphasising the country’s commitment to global energy markets.
“In terms of energy supply, we are a responsible and committed supplier to the global energy market, and we will continue to do what we can,” the minister told Euronews.
As proven since the Iran war erupted two weeks ago, energy markets are highly sensitive to instability in the Gulf because of the region’s central role in global supply chains.
The UAE says it also continues to exert a stabilising role in global logistics networks.
“We are a global logistics hub. We connect destinations from Dubai, for example, to over 155 destinations around the world,” Nusseibeh told Euronews.
Two weeks into the war that has seen Iranian drones and missiles pounding the entire Gulf region and beyond, the United Arab Emirates says its response is focused on a difficult balancing act: defending its territory while preventing the crisis from spiralling into a broader regional war.
For Gulf governments, the strategic calculation is complex. A forceful military response risks widening the confrontation with Iran, potentially drawing multiple regional and international actors into the conflict. At the same time, failing to respond decisively could leave critical infrastructure and civilian populations vulnerable.
Minister Nusseibeh underlined to Euronews the scale of the challenge facing the country, as the UAE absorbed the highest number of Iranian missile and drone attacks across the whole Middle East since the war started.
“We’ve had an incredibly challenging 14 days,” Lana Nusseibeh said, but she added that despite the attacks the UAE has managed to maintain stability, saying that “life has pretty much gone back to near normal in the UAE.”
According to Nusseibeh, who was the UAE’s ambassador to the UN until recently, the conflict erupted despite massive diplomatic efforts to avoid escalation.
“We are two weeks into this conflict that we did not want to be drawn into. In fact, we were very engaged in diplomatic efforts prior to this escalation to try and avoid a conflict in the region.”
Since the attacks began, she said the immediate priority has been protecting residents while ensuring the country’s economy and daily life continue to function.
“I think the priority right now is defending the country against these attacks and ensuring it does not disrupt normal life,” Nusseibeh told Euronews
The UAE says its ability to maintain stability reflects decades of preparation for geopolitical uncertainty in the Gulf.
“We have been preparing for various scenarios in a very turbulent region for decades, so these are not new plans,” she said.
Those preparations extend beyond military readiness. The country has invested heavily in economic resilience, logistics networks and supply chain security.
“We’ve also built into system resilience in our food supply, in our market supply, in our access to global goods,” Nusseibeh said.
She also highlighted the role of the country’s defence systems, hailing that “our UAE air defence systems are best in class. They’re honed over decades of investment, practice in real battles around the world as part of coalitions,” she said.
“The UAE Armed Forces have kept our communities and our residents safe,” Nusseibeh added.
At the same time, she emphasised that the UAE leadership will continue to confront all challenges.
“We don’t believe in military escalation, but we’re tough when what we have fought so hard to build is challenged, and we will be tough through this,” she said.
For the UAE leadership, the stakes go beyond security. The country sees itself as defending a broader model of stability and coexistence in a region that has often struggled with conflict.
“The red lines are the security, the prosperity, the well-being of our Emirati community and our expatriate community here,” Nusseibeh said. “We consider all of them part of this country, and they deserve our protection,” she added.
