The US secretary of state landed in the Persian Gulf and encountered fierce opposition to the emerging memorandum of understanding with Iran. Diplomatic sources reveal that the United Arab Emirates is refusing to unfreeze $3 billion belonging to Tehran, and is demanding compensation for war damage and a commitment to halt maritime aggression. At the same time, Rubio is waging an internal battle against Vice President Vance, who tried to establish an oversight body in Lebanon with the participation of Iran and Qatar in order to torpedo the direct ceasefire talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is being greeted by a deeply concerned Emirati leadership. The reason for the concern is the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, which left the Iranian military threat in place and even strengthened it, contrary to American promises and expectations from the war. And the Emiratis are not only worried, they are also taking action. According to various diplomatic sources, the UAE is not prepared at this stage to release frozen Iranian accounts, as the Americans agreed with Iran. According to various reports, the understandings reached in the talks in Switzerland, mediated by Qatar, included the release of $12 billion in accounts from Qatar and another $3 billion from the UAE. The Americans boasted that the money would be used for civilian purposes and to buy food from the United States.
But the UAE is making it clear: Iran must pay for the damage it caused during the war, which is estimated in the billions of dollars. First, this involves direct damage, including hits to civilian facilities, hotels, airports, ports and more. Beyond that, there is the indirect damage caused by the halt in maritime trade, and especially by the disruption of oil exports from the UAE. The ports of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are vast trade hubs that move goods from the East to the region and to Europe. The Emiratis' second condition, according to the diplomatic sources, is the inclusion of a clause in the emerging agreement with Iran requiring it not to attack its neighbors and not to obstruct the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Under the demand, the clause would be ratified by the UN Security Council and backed by sanctions if violated. This is identical to Iran's demand of the United States. (Read More)
