The United Arab Emirates has stated the country will take part in a US-led maritime coalition that also includes Australia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.
According to Director of the International Security Cooperation Department of the Emirati Foreign Ministry Salem al-Zaabi, the UAE wanted "to ensure global energy security and the continued flow of energy supplies to the global economy".
The news comes after a drone attack on Saudi oil plants on Saturday, which caused their closure and, subsequently resulted in a spike in oil prices. Yemen's Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthi movement, which is fighting against Saudi forces, claimed responsibility for the strike, however, Washington and Riyadh accused Tehran of being behind the attack.
The Islamic Republic denied the allegations, stressing that the Yemeni militants had carried out the strike.
The US created the coalition earlier this year amid an escalating row with Iran, with the American military deploying additional forces to the Middle East. Washington established the bloc after several attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, which it also blamed on Iran, and the seizure of a UK-flagged cargo ship, Stena Impero, by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.
