The report comes amid mounting American war costs, depleted missile stockpiles and a reluctance among allies to get involved
Some US officials are encouraging the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to seize one of Iran’s islands in the Persian Gulf, The Telegraph has reported, citing sources.
The island in question is Lavan, one of Iran’s key offshore oil export centers, which hosts refinery, storage and tanker-loading infrastructure connected to several major crude fields. It also sits atop a large natural gas reserve.
Some in the circle of US President Donald Trump have suggested the UAE should take the island, the outlet wrote on Saturday.
“Go take ‘em! It would be UAE boots on the ground instead of US,” it cited a former senior Trump security official as saying.
The reported proposal reflects broader pressure in Washington to reduce direct American military exposure as the war with Iran stretches into its third month.
Pentagon officials told Congress this month that the war has already cost the US roughly $29 billion, much of it linked to missile expenditures and air-defense operations.
US defense analysts and military publications have, meanwhile, warned that weeks of intensive strikes and operations involving THAAD interceptors, Patriot systems and Tomahawk cruise missiles have significantly depleted American stockpiles.
The Pentagon has since accelerated efforts to replenish inventories with lower-cost mass-produced weapons developed by newer defense firms rather than by relying exclusively on traditional military contractors.
The reported push for greater Emirati involvement also comes amid a broader reluctance among US allies to deepen their direct participation in the conflict. While Washington has pressed partners for greater military involvement against Iran, including naval operations in the Strait of Hormuz, several European NATO members, such as Germany, Spain, and the UK, have publicly distanced themselves from the war.
The UAE has emerged as one of the regional states that moved closest to Washington and Israel during the war. Tehran has accused Abu Dhabi of serving as a “hostile base” for US and Israeli operations, retaliating at targets in the Emirates.
Emirati forces have reportedly carried out covert strikes on Iranian targets, including attacks on Lavan Island in April.
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Saudi Arabia has also reportedly conducted limited strikes against Iran, but resisted Emirati efforts to organize a coordinated Gulf military campaign against the Islamic republic.
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