UAE, Israel Pressure U.S. for Iran Security Guarantees

The United Arab Emirates and Israel are lobbying the U.S. to formulate a security strategy for the Middle East should the Iran nuclear deal be revived, with the war in Ukraine and surging oil prices providing leverage to obtain guarantees they failed to secure in 2015.

The erstwhile foes, which established diplomatic relations in 2020, are demanding a coherent approach that includes boosting missile defense and intelligence sharing, five people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.

Israel and the UAE have approached Biden administration officials separately but are coordinating amid concern that Iran would use an oil windfall to channel more funds to armed proxy groups around the Middle East, three of the people said.

A State Department official said the U.S. was committed to a region where its partners are secure from “external aggression” and was working with them to confront threats from Iran.

A senior Biden administration official said there were ongoing discussions about the evolving threat landscape. The officials did not confirm any U.S. commitment to a specific or new plan.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment, while the Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The UAE Foreign Ministry didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

Gulf Arab governments and Israel opposed the 2015 deal that curbed Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, saying it failed to address their concerns over the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile capabilities or its support for terrorist groups including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.

Resentment has festered since, pushing Gulf Arab governments to expand ties with Russia and China as a hedge against creeping U.S. disengagement from the region.

Relations have deteriorated to such an extent that they have been reluctant to rally around U.S. efforts to isolate Moscow and reassure energy markets as President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine drives oil prices to 13-year highs.

The Biden administration’s determination to calm energy markets even as it tightens sanctions has given the UAE, OPEC’s third-largest producer, new leverage in discussions with U.S. officials.

Barbara Leaf, Senior Middle East Director at the White House’s National Security Council, visited Abu Dhabi to reduce tensions last week, meeting with powerful security chief Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed and Sultan Al Jaber, who heads the state oil firm Adnoc, three of the people said.

The talks centered around the UAE’s demand for security guarantees and Biden’s desire to squeeze more crude barrels out of OPEC, they added.

Shortly after that meeting the UAE issued a statement via its envoy in Washington D.C. saying it would call on fellow members of OPEC+ to boost oil output faster.

Oil prices fell and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the overture. The UAE oil minister later tempered expectations, reiterating his country remained committed to the oil producers’ cartel.

OPEC+, which is dominated by Saudi Arabia and includes Russia, has so far resisted calls from the White House and major oil consumers to speed up production.