ABU DHABI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and US President Donald Trump discussed ongoing efforts to address regional tensions during a phone call on Tuesday, the Emirates News Agency reported.
The two leaders exchanged views on the latest developments in the Middle East, WAM said, without providing further details.
Sheikh Mohamed and Trump also discussed UAE-US cooperation and ways to strengthen bilateral relations in support of their countries’ mutual interests.
The conversation came as diplomatic efforts to resolve the US-Iran conflict remained deadlocked and tensions continued to mount over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for the UAE and other Gulf states.
Their call coincided with the expiry of a 60-day window intended to produce a broader US-Iran agreement, with Washington and Tehran remaining far apart over the terms of a settlement.
Iran, meanwhile, has hardened its position over the Strait of Hormuz.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday that the strategic waterway would remain closed until Washington met Tehran’s demands under an interim agreement reached in June, including lifting restrictions on Iranian ports and oil exports, releasing frozen assets and ending military operations and threats.
The US has ruled out extending the interim arrangement, while a senior Iranian official warned that Tehran could adopt a “fully offensive” military posture if diplomacy failed, further raising fears of escalation in the Gulf.
Abu Dhabi last week accused Iran of attacking an ADNOC-operated tanker transiting the waterway and called on Tehran to halt attacks on commercial shipping and fully reopen the strait.
The UAE said it was the third attack on an ADNOC-operated vessel within a week. Iran has previously denied targeting commercial vessels.
Shipping through the strait has fallen sharply amid the confrontation, disrupting energy exports and raising concerns over global supplies.
