“I believe … Iran will not attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz and we will not allow them to close the Strait of Hormuz. I can’t say it anymore clearly than that,” Vice-Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, the commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, told the first Gulf Naval Commanders Conference held in Abu Dhabi.
The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in remarks published last week that Teheran would impose controls on shipping in the Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz if it was attacked.
“Regardless of what might precipitate an entity or a country to attempt to close the strait … it is an international affront that is saying to the world that the nearly 40 per cent of the world’s oil and the significant amount of gas which goes through the strait is now being held hostage by a single country,” he said.
“I think the world would find its voice rapidly and insist that whoever was attempting to do this cease and desist.”
Lt-Gen. Hamad Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, said the emirates will continue working to protect its natural resources, including oil, from security threats. Although the country is an advocate for peace, this does not mean that it will not be prepared to defend itself against external security threats.
Focused on the importance of creating a secure GCC network for ensuring maritime security, and combating threats in the waters surrounding GCC countries, the conference featured navy commanders from the UAE, Kuwait, the US, the UK and France.
Answering a question about geopolitical tension with neighbouring countries, Rear Admiral Ahmed Mohammed Al Teneji, Commander of the UAE Navy, said Iran is an ally and does not pose a maritime threat.
"Iran is a neighbouring country; we are joined by many interests. Ensuring the security of the Gulf is a collective project that includes Iran, and the country does not perceive any current threat from Iran. But we are also prepared to defend ourselves," he said.
Major-General Al Mullah, Commander of the Kuwaiti Navy, said the region needs to develop naval training, missions, capabilities such as deterrence by naval presence, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response to combat the current challenges.
"The threat of the Arabian Gulf security as we witnessed in the last five years is mainly that of Islamic extremist organisations such as Al Qaeda which have carried out different attacks against naval and commercial ships as well as suicide attacks against maritime targets and infrastructure such as the attack against the US ships and the French tanker Limburg in the Gulf of Eden.
"Other threats to the Arabian Gulf include piracy, illegal trafficking of people, drugs, weapons, and other dangerous illegal materials such as weapons of mass destruction," he added.
The event was organised by the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) and the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR).
