The United Arab Emirates “won’t jump the gun” and accuse Iran of sabotaging ships off its coast, a senior government official said, as rising tensions in the Gulf stoke concerns the region is teetering on the brink of another war.
In an hour-long briefing, the U.A.E.’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, struck a cautious tone, stressing his country is “very committed to deescalation” and would exercise “caution and prudence” in a “brittle, difficult” situation. He said an investigation of the attack on the four ships, which includes Saudi and Norwegian vessels, was being assisted by American and French investigators and should wind up within days.
