The United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday that it has withdrawn from a multinational security organization led by the United States that aims to oppose Iran in the Middle East, where the Persian Gulf nation has expressed dissatisfaction with American attempts to discourage Tehran.
The UAE announced its withdrawal from the American-led coalition in a statement on its state news service two months ago as part of its review of “effective security cooperation” in the Middle East. The statement did not specify why.
The coalition, known as the Combined Maritime Forces, or CMF, is led by the top US admiral in Bahrain and brings together 38 nations to oppose Iranian attacks on commercial ships, arms smuggling, and piracy. The coalition, which comprises the United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Germany, is the world’s largest maritime security force.
The UAE withdrew its representatives from the coalition’s headquarters in Bahrain two months ago, according to US officials, but did not express any disagreement with American-led security efforts.
Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, which manages the military alliance, said Wednesday that the United Arab Emirates is still a member of the organization and that participation ebbs and flows depending on various demands.
“CMF remains a multinational partnership of 38 nations, one of which is the United Arab Emirates,” he stated. “Participation is typically rotational for many of our partners.”
The remark by the UAE came a day after a Wall Street Journal piece about the country’s dissatisfaction with American attempts to protect commercial ships in the region against Iranian assault.
Earlier this month, Emirati authorities expressed dissatisfaction with American-led security measures in the region, following Iran’s seizure of two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz on April 27 and May 3, according to American and Gulf sources.
The first tanker was transporting Kuwaiti crude oil to Houston for Chevron, while the second was passing through the Emirati port cities of Dubai and Fujairah.
The seizure of the second ship, which had departed Dubai, infuriated UAE officials since it reinforced the perception that the US and its allies couldn’t guarantee commercial activity in the Persian Gulf, according to the officials.
One American official compared the UAE’s reaction to its angry reaction in January 2022, when the US was hesitant to come to the Gulf nation’s aid after Iran-backed Houthi insurgents in Yemen launched a fatal drone attack on Abu Dhabi, killing three people.
The Houthi attack, dubbed “their 9/11” by Emirati officials, triggered months of escalating political tensions between Abu Dhabi and Washington.
Gulf leaders say the United States has failed to do enough to discourage strikes from Iran and its proxies in recent years, weakening their faith in Washington’s commitment to the area.
An American guided-missile destroyer and an Emirati Navy vessel traveled together last week in the Gulf of Oman outside the Strait of Hormuz as part of the US military reaction to Iran’s seizure of the tankers. At the same time, American and Qatari military troops flew a Navy jet across the strait on a combined surveillance mission.
According to a Foreign Ministry release issued Wednesday, unidentified press publications mischaracterized “US-UAE conversations regarding maritime security.”
“The UAE is committed to peaceful dialogue and diplomatic engagement to advance the shared goals of regional security and stability,” the ministry stated. “As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, the UAE withdrew from the Combined Maritime Forces two months ago.”
Foreign Ministry officials did not answer to queries for clarification on the news.
