US officials are encouraging the United Arab Emirates to “get more heavily involved in the Iran war and seize one of Tehran’s Gulf islands,” The Telegraph reported Saturday.
A former senior US security official told the newspaper that some people within US President Donald Trump’s circle have proposed that the UAE seize Lavan Island, which was reportedly targeted in covert Emirati military strikes in early April.
“Go take ’em!” the official was quoted as saying by the newspaper, adding: “It would be UAE boots on the ground instead of US.”
READ: Israeli premier made secret trip to UAE to meet President bin Zayed
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. In response.
Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, including the UAE, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely.
READ: US report says UAE secretly carrying out attacks on Iran
