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In the Gulf, the ceasefire is holding. But only just. For Edward Hobart, British Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, that fragile pause is the only thing standing between contained tension and renewed escalation.<\/p>\n
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In an interview with Euronews, Hobart said that \u201cthe important thing is that there is a ceasefire still\u2026 we\u2019re not going to resolve the war while we\u2019re still fighting.”<\/p>\n
The message is blunt. Diplomacy does not begin in parallel with conflict. It follows it. And for now, the region is suspended in that narrow gap between the two.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we don\u2019t know yet\u2026 but we hope, of course, that it\u2019s part of the beginning step into something which brings us to a sustainable resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether that hope holds depends largely on a stretch of water just 33 kilometres wide. The Strait of Hormuz is not just a regional flashpoint. It is a global pressure point, carrying a significant share of the world\u2019s oil supply. When it closes, the consequences are immediate and far-reaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t talk very easily while you\u2019re firing missiles across the Straits of Hormuz,” Hobart said. <\/p>\n
That urgency is already shaping diplomatic engagement between London and Abu Dhabi, particularly in recent talks between the UK Foreign Secretary and the UAE Foreign Minister.<\/p>\n
Security cooperation<\/p>\n
\u201cThey obviously focused fundamentally on the current regional situation and Iran and in particular on the critical importance of getting the Straits of Hormuz open again,” according to Hobart.<\/p>\n
Behind that sits a broader strategic calibration. Security cooperation is being reinforced, but so too are the systems that underpin long-term resilience, from energy transition to financial security.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe agreed a framework of cooperation between our countries,\u201d Hobart says, including work \u201cnot just in foreign policy and in defence, but also in AI\u2026 in the energy transition\u2026 in tackling global crime and illicit finance.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the ground, that partnership has already been tested. The recent attacks were not incremental. They marked a step change, \u201cunprecedented, unwarranted and hugely dangerous, risking lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
And yet, the outcome could have been significantly worse. The UAE\u2019s defensive systems held. \u201cThey\u2019ve intercepted 95% of the projectiles fired at this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
That figure is more than a statistic. It is a signal of preparedness, coordination, and a defence architecture functioning under pressure.<\/p>\n
For the UK, the response has been deliberately controlled. Support without escalation. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t the UK\u2019s war\u2026 but particularly in defence of the Gulf countries, we have enabled the US to help support that defence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Underlying risk<\/p>\n
At the same time, the crisis has triggered a wider international alignment. Maritime security, once a technical issue, has become a geopolitical priority. \u201cWhat we want is the law of the sea to be followed\u2026 these international thoroughfares\u2026 open and flowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
That position is now backed by scale. \u201cThere were over 50 countries taking part\u2026 who are there to support freedom of navigation\u2026 in the Straits de Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even so, the underlying risk has not disappeared. It has been managed, not removed. \u201cI think the risk is there\u2026 the risk is reduced while there isn\u2019t fighting and while there is a prospect of talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
For residents in the UAE, that translates into a cautious normality. Daily life continues, but with an awareness that conditions can shift quickly. \u201cFor expats that are here\u2026 at the moment you can live a pretty normal life, but you need to pay attention to what the authorities are saying.\u201d<\/p>\n
That balance, between reassurance and realism, has defined the response. \u201cI think it\u2019s getting the balance right between a kind of calming message\u2026 but also the need to respond to a very unusual situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zoom out, and a more structural picture emerges. The UAE operates in a region it cannot control. Its strength lies in how it responds. \u201cThe UAE can\u2019t control the whole of that environment, so it\u2019s about how does it flex and respond to that overall.\u201d<\/p>\n
And despite the pressure, those fundamentals remain intact. \u201cThe fundamentals for the UAE haven\u2019t changed\u2026 it also has a brilliant geography\u2026 and a business environment which is very conducive and open.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, that balance is holding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the Gulf, the ceasefire is holding. But only just. For Edward Hobart, British Ambassador to the United…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":543514,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[19308,59,57,58,79455,164199,50,56,5387,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-543513","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-kingdom","8":"tag-ceasefire","9":"tag-gb","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-greatbritain","12":"tag-gulf","13":"tag-iran-war","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-arab-emirates","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=543513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/543514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=543513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=543513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=543513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}