On the second day of his visit to the Gulf region, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and senior officials, including National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Rubio is expected to travel to Kuwait and Bahrain in the coming days. Speaking to reporters upon arrival in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, he said: "We want to hear from our partners. We want to ensure that their viewpoints are taken into account, and that we understand their regional security and economic concerns."
The visit comes after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last week to extend the fragile ceasefire and move toward a permanent end to the conflict, which has lasted over 100 days. Further negotiations are expected to continue for 60 days to address thorny issues, including Iran's nuclear program.
The US and Israel launched the war on February 28, with an initial attack that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In retaliation, Tehran struck all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states with varying intensity. The UAE alone endured about 2,800 missiles and drones; Kuwait was hit at its airport, commercial port, and desalination plants; missile strikes on Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the country's key gas facility, caused "significant damage."
Iran also attacked and threatened vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the route for much of the GCC's oil and gas exports. Iran's effective blockade of the narrow waterway cost GCC states billions of dollars in revenue.
The US-Iran deal includes resuming traffic through this maritime chokepoint and lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports. It is unclear whether Iran still intends to impose fees on vessels passing through the strait, as senior Iranian officials previously suggested. US President Donald Trump made clear on Wednesday that this is not an option. In an all-caps post on Truth Social, he said no fees, insurance costs, or tolls may be applied to ships.
The agreement also includes exemptions from US sanctions and the release of Iranian assets.
However, the deal does not address Iran's ballistic missiles or Tehran's ties with its regional allies – two major concerns for Gulf states, which saw their cities and energy infrastructure become extremely vulnerable to Iranian missiles, rockets, and drones throughout the war.
