Gargash: UAE made every effort to avoid confrontation, urges dialogue to contain conflict

Abu Dhabi: Dr Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said the escalation currently taking place in the region had been expected for months, adding that the UAE and other Gulf states had made every effort to avoid confrontation, with the region’s efforts also focused on finding ways to de-escalate.

In an interview with Sky News Arabia on Saturday, Gargash stressed that there is no alternative to political solutions, noting that Iran had been expected to respect the messages conveyed to it. However, he said the current situation was the result of repeated crises and the failure to reach solutions to the Iranian nuclear file.

He said it was still too early to draw a clear scenario of the nature of the conflict, describing the war as complex and the overall picture as unclear. He also warned that military solutions generate crises and carry serious consequences for the region.

Gargash said Iran was sending a message that its nuclear programme was not the only challenge, but also its missile capabilities. 

He described the Iranian position as unclear and lacking rational vision, adding that the attacks were blatant and irresponsible, and that assaults on countries in the region reflected short-sighted policies.

The UAE official said Gulf states could not stand idle in the face of Iranian attacks, noting that Iran was in greater need of Gulf intervention to contain the conflict. He added that the solution did not lie in Iran targeting Gulf states, but in working with them to reach a negotiated settlement, stressing the need to contain the war and return to the negotiating table.

Gargash concluded by reassuring that the UAE’s defence systems had performed very successfully and that the country would overcome the crisis with strength and resilience, adding that the UAE emerges stronger from every test.