MANAMA, Bahrain — The United Arab Emirates’ presidential adviser said Sunday that his country hopes a diplomatic breakthrough in Qatar-led mediations is possible to avert a new round of confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.
The Iran war, which began on Feb.
28 with joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel followed by attacks by Iran on the Gulf nations, has made it “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 the audience at the Manama Dialogue, an annual security summit in Bahrain organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, or IISS, that brings together regional and international state, defense and foreign affairs officials and experts.
Iranian negotiators are in Qatar for talks on a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz soon, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. He said that no direct talks are being held with the U.S. and that the final outcome depends on answers provided by the United States to the “Iranian questions. Gargash, the UAE adviser, said that the current crisis requires “a lot of wisdom, with political tools being our main tools, and the understanding that military solutions will only complicate the current very complicated scene that we have and will not actually bring any quick off-ramps. “If these positions are not bridged, then we have to worry about the worst,” Gargash said. He said that it’s not in the interest of the region or Iran to withstand another round of war. At the conference, Bahraini Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said that his country also welcomes “every effort to reduce tensions, prevent escalation and create opportunities for dialogue.”
