UAE moves to end dependency on Strait of Hormuz

As the world awaits the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following the signing of an interim peace deal between Iran and the US, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is working on a highly ambitious plan to try to end its dependence on the critical chokepoint.

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“We're moving toward having zero Hormuz dependency and that’s regardless of whether it’s open or not,” the UAE's minister of foreign trade Thani Al Zeyoudi said in an interview. “It’s going to open and we hope that will happen quickly, but we will not stop the new plan.”

The effective shuttering of Hormuz since the US and Israel began bombarding Iran in late February has highlighted the critical importance of the waterway to global supplies of energy and other commodities, from fertilizers and helium to aluminium. The UAE has already benefited from being able to partially bypass the strait, using an existing pipeline to keep some crude moving through ports on its east coast. The country has also managed to move some oil cargoes through Hormuz in recent weeks, with ships going dark to avoid detection.