DUBAI: A senior UAE official on Thursday strongly rejected Iran’s claim of control over Emirati waters in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, describing the move as a “pipe dream” following an announcement by a newly established Iranian body overseeing the strategic waterway.
Anwar Gargash, presidential adviser to the United Arab Emirates, criticised Tehran’s position in a post on X, saying the Iranian regime was attempting to create “a new reality” after what he described as a clear military defeat.
“The regime is trying to establish a new reality born from a clear military defeat, but attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or infringe on the UAE’s maritime sovereignty are nothing but pipe dreams,” Gargash said.
The remarks came after Iran’s newly formed body responsible for overseeing the Strait of Hormuz announced that its claimed area of control extended into Emirati waters, prompting a sharp response from the Gulf state.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most important global shipping routes — has been under Iranian control since the outbreak of war involving Israel and the United States on February 28.
In a post published on X on Wednesday, accompanied by a map, the newly established Arabian Gulf Strait Authority said it had defined “the regulatory jurisdiction for the management” of the strait.
According to the authority, the claimed jurisdiction covers the area extending from “Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE” and also includes “the line connecting the tip of Qeshm island in Iran to Umm Al-Quwain in the UAE.”
The Iranian body further stated that any transit through the area for the purpose of passing through the Strait of Hormuz would require coordination with, and authorization from, the Arabian Gulf Strait Authority.
The UAE’s Fujairah port hosts major oil infrastructure designed to bypass the strategic waterway, underscoring its importance to regional and global energy trade.