Strait of Hormuz: UAE Joins Coalition to Potentially Force Passage Open

The United Arab Emirates signals willingness to participate in a multinational force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the economic cost of its closure mounts.

UAE Joins Hormuz Coalition: The World Moves Toward Forcing the Strait Open

The United Arab Emirates indicated this week that it would be prepared to participate in a multinational force to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, according to reporting cited by the Times of Israel on March 27, 2026. The UAE's signalling represents a significant development in the diplomatic and military efforts to reopen the world's most critical energy shipping lane, which Iran has substantially restricted since the US-Israeli military campaign against Tehran began on February 28.

The Strait of Hormuz — through which approximately 20 percent of global oil and roughly 15 percent of global LNG passes — has been the subject of intermittent Iranian threats to close for decades, but the current situation represents the first sustained restriction of commercial traffic through the waterway in modern history. Iran has deployed a combination of mine-laying, drone threats, and Coast Guard interdictions that have caused most major shipping companies to divert vessels away from the route, dramatically increasing the cost and distance of Gulf energy deliveries to European and Asian markets.

A coalition force to open Hormuz would face significant military and legal complexity. The legal basis for such an operation — whether under UN Security Council authorisation (blocked by Russian and Chinese vetoes), NATO alliance provisions, or national self-defence doctrines — would need to be established. The military challenge of clearing mines while managing Iranian anti-ship missile threats would require substantial naval assets from multiple nations. The risk of escalation into a broader conflict with Iran and its regional allies is real and would need to be managed through careful rules of engagement.