The UAE has reiterated the importance of a political solution and negotiations to resolve regional tensions, as US President Donald Trump’s visit to China draws global attention for its possible impact on the Iran war and the Gulf.
Dr Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said the world was closely following Trump’s important visit to China and what it could mean for the regional track.
In a post on X, Gargash said the UAE once again affirms the importance of a political solution and a negotiated path, “which it continues to uphold in its various contacts”.
“We did not seek this war, and we worked sincerely to avoid it,” Gargash said. “Arab-Iranian relations in the Gulf cannot be built on confrontation and conflicts, in a region whose peoples are bound by deep-rooted geographical and historical ties.”
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping began talks in Beijing on Thursday, May 14, with Reuters reporting that the summit was expected to cover trade, Taiwan and the Iran war. Reuters also reported that Trump was expected to ask China to help end the Iran war, with peace talks stalled and the global economic cost of the conflict rising.
Gargash stressed that defending the homeland is a sacred duty, and that the UAE will protect its sovereignty “with strength, efficiency and steadfastness”.
However, he said the country’s priority and firm conviction will remain in favouring political solutions, based on its belief that they are the path to peace, stability and prosperity.
His remarks are in line with statements made by the UAE in this regard.
In earlier remarks during the conflict, Gargash said the UAE was not a party to the war and had made sincere efforts until the last moment to mediate between Washington and Tehran to avoid it. He also rejected Iranian claims that the UAE had attacked Iran, saying Abu Dhabi had prioritised reason and logic, exercised restraint, and continued to seek a way out for Iran and the region.
At the same time, UAE officials have repeatedly said that restraint does not mean weakness. Gargash has previously criticised what he described as Iranian aggression, saying missile and drone attacks had hit civilian infrastructure and vital facilities, rather than the US bases Tehran claimed to have targeted.
The UAE’s position has combined three messages: the country will defend itself, Iran must be held accountable for attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure, and any durable outcome must go beyond a simple ceasefire to address the threats posed by missile and drone attacks, proxy activity and risks to trade routes.
The war has directly affected Gulf countries. Since February 28, Iran has launched over 2,800 drones, and cruise and ballistic missiles at the UAE, majority of which were intercepted.
The UAE has also flagged threats to freedom of navigation and regional trade, particularly in and around the Strait of Hormuz. In previous official statements, the UAE condemned attacks on commercial shipping, including an Iranian drone attack on an ADNOC-affiliated carrier in the Strait of Hormuz, and called on Iran to stop attacks, reopen the Strait fully and commit to an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Despite the severity of the crisis, the UAE has repeatedly stressed on diplomacy as the only sustainable path forward. Officials have stressed that the country’s response is built around defence, diplomacy, continuity and public calm: protecting sovereignty, keeping aviation and trade moving where possible, countering misinformation, and avoiding language that inflames tensions.
Gargash’s latest remarks underline that balance. The UAE, he said, will protect its sovereignty firmly, but its priority remains political solutions because they offer the best route to peace, stability and prosperity.
Source: Khaleej Times