US and Iran exchange fire in Hormuz, Trump says ceasefire holds
The US military said it intercepted attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of…
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The state visit by Britain’s King Charles to the US would take place as planned, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday, following a shooting at a Washington media gala.
The incident late on Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association came less than 48 hours before Charles and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States.
The palace said Charles was “greatly relieved” that Trump, the first lady Melania and other guests were unharmed and later on Sunday said this week’s trip would go ahead as planned.
“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting under way tomorrow,” it said.
Earlier, senior UK minister Darren Jones told British broadcasters during a round of interviews that security teams in Britain and the US were “working closely to ensure the security arrangements are put appropriately in place” for the state visit.
It is understood the king and queen reached out privately to the Trumps to express their sympathies with those impacted on Saturday night and to share their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.
Trump has said one police officer was shot at close range but appeared not to be critically injured.
World news
The state visit by Britain’s King Charles to the US would take place as planned, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday, following a shooting at a Washington media gala.
The incident late on Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association came less than 48 hours before Charles and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States.The palace said Charles was “greatly relieved” that Trump, the first lady Melania and other guests were unharmed and later on Sunday said this week’s trip would go ahead as planned.“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting under way tomorrow,” it said.
Earlier, senior UK minister Darren Jones told British broadcasters during a round of interviews that security teams in Britain and the US were “working closely to ensure the security arrangements are put appropriately in place” for the state visit.
It is understood the king and queen reached out privately to the Trumps to express their sympathies with those impacted on Saturday night and to share their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.
Trump has said one police officer was shot at close range but appeared not to be critically injured.#King #Charles #state #visit #ahead #planned #Washington #shootingBritain, New York, Camilla, Congress, Strait of Hormuz, Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth, Trump, Epstein scandal, Keir Starmer, United States, Washington, Downing Street, King Charles, Iran war">King Charles’ US state visit to go ahead as planned after Washington shooting
The state visit by Britain’s King Charles to the US would take place as planned, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday, following a shooting at a Washington media gala.
The incident late on Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association came less than 48 hours before Charles and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States.The palace said Charles was “greatly relieved” that Trump, the first lady Melania and other guests were unharmed and later on Sunday said this week’s trip would go ahead as planned.“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting under way tomorrow,” it said.
Earlier, senior UK minister Darren Jones told British broadcasters during a round of interviews that security teams in Britain and the US were “working closely to ensure the security arrangements are put appropriately in place” for the state visit.
It is understood the king and queen reached out privately to the Trumps to express their sympathies with those impacted on Saturday night and to share their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.
Trump has said one police officer was shot at close range but appeared not to be critically injured.#King #Charles #state #visit #ahead #planned #Washington #shootingBritain, New York, Camilla, Congress, Strait of Hormuz, Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth, Trump, Epstein scandal, Keir Starmer, United States, Washington, Downing Street, King Charles, Iran war
The state visit by Britain’s King Charles to the US would take place as planned, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday, following a shooting at a Washington media gala.
The incident late on Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association came less than 48 hours before Charles and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States.
The palace said Charles was “greatly relieved” that Trump, the first lady Melania and other guests were unharmed and later on Sunday said this week’s trip would go ahead as planned.
“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting under way tomorrow,” it said.
Earlier, senior UK minister Darren Jones told British broadcasters during a round of interviews that security teams in Britain and the US were “working closely to ensure the security arrangements are put appropriately in place” for the state visit.
It is understood the king and queen reached out privately to the Trumps to express their sympathies with those impacted on Saturday night and to share their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.
Trump has said one police officer was shot at close range but appeared not to be critically injured.
The state visit by Britain’s King Charles to the US would take place as planned, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday, following a shooting at a Washington media gala.
The incident late on Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association came less than 48 hours before Charles and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States.
The palace said Charles was “greatly relieved” that Trump, the first lady Melania and other guests were unharmed and later on Sunday said this week’s trip would go ahead as planned.
“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting under way tomorrow,” it said.
Earlier, senior UK minister Darren Jones told British broadcasters during a round of interviews that security teams in Britain and the US were “working closely to ensure the security arrangements are put appropriately in place” for the state visit.
It is understood the king and queen reached out privately to the Trumps to express their sympathies with those impacted on Saturday night and to share their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.
Trump has said one police officer was shot at close range but appeared not to be critically injured.
The state visit by Britain’s King Charles to the US would take place as planned,…
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad on Sunday, a day after leaving the country as US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned trip to Islamabad by US negotiators.
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Araghchi also visited Oman on Saturday, and is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. There are no indications, however, that talks between Iran and the US are set to resume.
Still, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that Tehran had transmitted “written messages” to the US via Pakistani mediators, which addressed “some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”. The messages were not part of any negotiations, the agency said.
Iranian media said that Araghchi’s second visit to Pakistan looked to share “Iran’s positions and views on the framework of any understanding to completely end the war”.
During his first visit to Islamabad on Friday and Saturday, he met with Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Other Iranian envoys then travelled back to Tehran to “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war”, according to ISNA.
Araghchi described his Pakistan trip on Saturday as “very fruitful” but signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions, insisting he had “yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.”
Trump cancels negotiating team’s trip to Pakistan
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were meant to head to Pakistan on Saturday for an “in-person conversation” with Iran, according to the White House.
But Trump later said that he had cancelled the trip, insisting that there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”. Iranian state media, however, had earlier said that direct talks were never on the table to begin with.
“They gave us a paper that should have been better and – interestingly – immediately when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters.
Later that evening, a gunman was arrested at the White House correspondents’ dinner, however Trump said he did not think it was related to Iran.
Trump then said on Sunday that “we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us, you know there is a telephone, we have nice secure lines.”
Hormuz blockade still in place
Meanwhile, the vital Hormuz oil and gas route continues to be blocked, with no sign of it opening any time soon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards posted a message on their Telegram channel saying that “controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran.”
The US has blockaded Iran’s ports in retaliation, with Iranian state media then warning that “blockading, banditry and piracy” would result in a response.
Israel and Hezbollah trade accusations over ceasefire violations
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, accusing the Iran-backed group of violating a ceasefire agreement between the two parties.
During a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said “it must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire,”.
Hezbollah said in an announcement of its own that it would respond to Israel’s ceasefire violations and its “continued occupation of Lebanese territory”.
Official Lebanese media reported on Sunday that Israel ordered evacuations for seven locations in the country. Subsequent aerial attacks caused casualties, destroyed a mosque and another religious building, the country’s national news agency said.
Israel’s military said on Sunday evening that one of its was killed “during combat” in southern Lebanon and six others were wounder, four of them severely.
Lebanon’s health ministry has increased the death toll caused by Israeli attacks since the war erupted on 2 March to 2,509 dead and 7,755 injured.
World news
#Iran #foreign #minister #returns #Pakistan #ahead #Moscow #tripUS-Israel attack on Iran 2026,Iran war,Abbas Araghchi,Iran-US negotiations,Islamabad">Iran foreign minister returns to Pakistan ahead of Moscow trip
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad on Sunday, a day after leaving the country as US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned trip to Islamabad by US negotiators.
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Araghchi also visited Oman on Saturday, and is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. There are no indications, however, that talks between Iran and the US are set to resume.
Still, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that Tehran had transmitted “written messages” to the US via Pakistani mediators, which addressed “some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”. The messages were not part of any negotiations, the agency said.
Iranian media said that Araghchi’s second visit to Pakistan looked to share “Iran’s positions and views on the framework of any understanding to completely end the war”.
During his first visit to Islamabad on Friday and Saturday, he met with Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Other Iranian envoys then travelled back to Tehran to “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war”, according to ISNA.
Araghchi described his Pakistan trip on Saturday as “very fruitful” but signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions, insisting he had “yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.”
Trump cancels negotiating team’s trip to Pakistan
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were meant to head to Pakistan on Saturday for an “in-person conversation” with Iran, according to the White House.
But Trump later said that he had cancelled the trip, insisting that there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”. Iranian state media, however, had earlier said that direct talks were never on the table to begin with.
“They gave us a paper that should have been better and – interestingly – immediately when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters.
Later that evening, a gunman was arrested at the White House correspondents’ dinner, however Trump said he did not think it was related to Iran.
Trump then said on Sunday that “we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us, you know there is a telephone, we have nice secure lines.”
Hormuz blockade still in place
Meanwhile, the vital Hormuz oil and gas route continues to be blocked, with no sign of it opening any time soon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards posted a message on their Telegram channel saying that “controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran.”
The US has blockaded Iran’s ports in retaliation, with Iranian state media then warning that “blockading, banditry and piracy” would result in a response.
Israel and Hezbollah trade accusations over ceasefire violations
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, accusing the Iran-backed group of violating a ceasefire agreement between the two parties.
During a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said “it must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire,”.
Hezbollah said in an announcement of its own that it would respond to Israel’s ceasefire violations and its “continued occupation of Lebanese territory”.
Official Lebanese media reported on Sunday that Israel ordered evacuations for seven locations in the country. Subsequent aerial attacks caused casualties, destroyed a mosque and another religious building, the country’s national news agency said.
Israel’s military said on Sunday evening that one of its was killed “during combat” in southern Lebanon and six others were wounder, four of them severely.
Lebanon’s health ministry has increased the death toll caused by Israeli attacks since the war erupted on 2 March to 2,509 dead and 7,755 injured.
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Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad on Sunday, a day after leaving the country as US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned trip to Islamabad by US negotiators.
ADVERTISEMENT
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Araghchi also visited Oman on Saturday, and is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. There are no indications, however, that talks between Iran and the US are set to resume.
Still, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that Tehran had transmitted “written messages” to the US via Pakistani mediators, which addressed “some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”. The messages were not part of any negotiations, the agency said.
Iranian media said that Araghchi’s second visit to Pakistan looked to share “Iran’s positions and views on the framework of any understanding to completely end the war”.
During his first visit to Islamabad on Friday and Saturday, he met with Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Other Iranian envoys then travelled back to Tehran to “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war”, according to ISNA.
Araghchi described his Pakistan trip on Saturday as “very fruitful” but signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions, insisting he had “yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.”
Trump cancels negotiating team’s trip to Pakistan
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were meant to head to Pakistan on Saturday for an “in-person conversation” with Iran, according to the White House.
But Trump later said that he had cancelled the trip, insisting that there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”. Iranian state media, however, had earlier said that direct talks were never on the table to begin with.
“They gave us a paper that should have been better and – interestingly – immediately when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters.
Later that evening, a gunman was arrested at the White House correspondents’ dinner, however Trump said he did not think it was related to Iran.
Trump then said on Sunday that “we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us, you know there is a telephone, we have nice secure lines.”
Hormuz blockade still in place
Meanwhile, the vital Hormuz oil and gas route continues to be blocked, with no sign of it opening any time soon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards posted a message on their Telegram channel saying that “controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran.”
The US has blockaded Iran’s ports in retaliation, with Iranian state media then warning that “blockading, banditry and piracy” would result in a response.
Israel and Hezbollah trade accusations over ceasefire violations
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, accusing the Iran-backed group of violating a ceasefire agreement between the two parties.
During a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said “it must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire,”.
Hezbollah said in an announcement of its own that it would respond to Israel’s ceasefire violations and its “continued occupation of Lebanese territory”.
Official Lebanese media reported on Sunday that Israel ordered evacuations for seven locations in the country. Subsequent aerial attacks caused casualties, destroyed a mosque and another religious building, the country’s national news agency said.
Israel’s military said on Sunday evening that one of its was killed “during combat” in southern Lebanon and six others were wounder, four of them severely.
Lebanon’s health ministry has increased the death toll caused by Israeli attacks since the war erupted on 2 March to 2,509 dead and 7,755 injured.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad on Sunday, a day after leaving the…
Additional sources • AP
World news
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Friday evening ahead of a second round of peace talks with the United States, in an effort to restore calm in the region.
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Shortly after Araghchi’s arrival, his ministry clarified that any talks between Tehran and Washington would be indirect, with messages conveyed to Pakistani officials instead.
Araghchi wasted no time and met late Friday with Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
On Saturday morning, he met with Munir and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, officials said.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also due to head to Pakistan on Saturday. Vice President JD Vance will not attend but will instead be on standby in case his presence is “necessary,” the White House said.
A first round of negotiations already took place in Pakistan earlier this month but both sides failed to reach a deal.
Pakistan has emerged as the leading mediator in efforts to end the war, with an initial round of negotiations already held in the capital earlier this month.
However, both sides failed to reach a deal, and as a result, Iran was initially reluctant to send another delegation to Islamabad for a second round.
Islamabad appeared to be under near-lockdown on Saturday morning, with soldiers and police stationed at key intersections, posted on rooftops overlooking major roads, and helicopters circling overhead. Checkpoints, road closures and diversions across the city, particularly near the so-called “red zone” surrounding the negotiation venue.
Commercial flights resume at Tehran’s airport
Meanwhile, Iran has resumed commercial flights at Tehran’s international airport on Saturday, the first time its done so since the conflict with the US and Israel broke out late February.
Flights bound for Istanbul, Oman’s capital of Muscat and the Saudi city of Medina departed from the Imam Khomeini International Airport, Iran’s state-run media reported.
Three Istanbul-bound flights were seen departing on Saturday morning on the Flightradar24 tracking platform.
Iran’s airspace has largely remained closed since 28 February, but partially reopened earlier this month when the first ceasefire was announced.
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Additional sources • AP
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Friday evening ahead of a second round of peace talks with the United States, in an effort to restore calm in the region.
ADVERTISEMENT
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Shortly after Araghchi’s arrival, his ministry clarified that any talks between Tehran and Washington would be indirect, with messages conveyed to Pakistani officials instead.
Araghchi wasted no time and met late Friday with Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
On Saturday morning, he met with Munir and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, officials said.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also due to head to Pakistan on Saturday. Vice President JD Vance will not attend but will instead be on standby in case his presence is “necessary,” the White House said.
A first round of negotiations already took place in Pakistan earlier this month but both sides failed to reach a deal.
Pakistan has emerged as the leading mediator in efforts to end the war, with an initial round of negotiations already held in the capital earlier this month.
However, both sides failed to reach a deal, and as a result, Iran was initially reluctant to send another delegation to Islamabad for a second round.
Islamabad appeared to be under near-lockdown on Saturday morning, with soldiers and police stationed at key intersections, posted on rooftops overlooking major roads, and helicopters circling overhead. Checkpoints, road closures and diversions across the city, particularly near the so-called “red zone” surrounding the negotiation venue.
Commercial flights resume at Tehran’s airport
Meanwhile, Iran has resumed commercial flights at Tehran’s international airport on Saturday, the first time its done so since the conflict with the US and Israel broke out late February.
Flights bound for Istanbul, Oman’s capital of Muscat and the Saudi city of Medina departed from the Imam Khomeini International Airport, Iran’s state-run media reported.
Three Istanbul-bound flights were seen departing on Saturday morning on the Flightradar24 tracking platform.
Iran’s airspace has largely remained closed since 28 February, but partially reopened earlier this month when the first ceasefire was announced.
Additional sources • AP
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Friday evening ahead of a second…
World news
#ambassador #UAE #warns #regional #risk #fragile #ceasefireIran war,United Arab Emirates,Gulf,Ceasefire">UK ambassador to UAE warns of regional risk amid fragile ceasefire
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.
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In an interview with Euronews, Hobart said that “the important thing is that there is a ceasefire still… we’re not going to resolve the war while we’re still fighting.”
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.
“I think we don’t know yet… but we hope, of course, that it’s part of the beginning step into something which brings us to a sustainable resolution.”
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’s oil supply. When it closes, the consequences are immediate and far-reaching.
“You can’t talk very easily while you’re firing missiles across the Straits of Hormuz,” Hobart said.
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.
Security cooperation
“They 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.
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.
“We agreed a framework of cooperation between our countries,” Hobart says, including work “not just in foreign policy and in defence, but also in AI… in the energy transition… in tackling global crime and illicit finance.”
On the ground, that partnership has already been tested. The recent attacks were not incremental. They marked a step change, “unprecedented, unwarranted and hugely dangerous, risking lives.”
And yet, the outcome could have been significantly worse. The UAE’s defensive systems held. “They’ve intercepted 95% of the projectiles fired at this country.”
That figure is more than a statistic. It is a signal of preparedness, coordination, and a defence architecture functioning under pressure.
For the UK, the response has been deliberately controlled. Support without escalation. “This wasn’t the UK’s war… but particularly in defence of the Gulf countries, we have enabled the US to help support that defence.”
Underlying risk
At the same time, the crisis has triggered a wider international alignment. Maritime security, once a technical issue, has become a geopolitical priority. “What we want is the law of the sea to be followed… these international thoroughfares… open and flowing.”
That position is now backed by scale. “There were over 50 countries taking part… who are there to support freedom of navigation… in the Straits de Hormuz.”
Even so, the underlying risk has not disappeared. It has been managed, not removed. “I think the risk is there… the risk is reduced while there isn’t fighting and while there is a prospect of talking.”
For residents in the UAE, that translates into a cautious normality. Daily life continues, but with an awareness that conditions can shift quickly. “For expats that are here… at the moment you can live a pretty normal life, but you need to pay attention to what the authorities are saying.”
That balance, between reassurance and realism, has defined the response. “I think it’s getting the balance right between a kind of calming message… but also the need to respond to a very unusual situation.”
Zoom out, and a more structural picture emerges. The UAE operates in a region it cannot control. Its strength lies in how it responds. “The UAE can’t control the whole of that environment, so it’s about how does it flex and respond to that overall.”
And despite the pressure, those fundamentals remain intact. “The fundamentals for the UAE haven’t changed… it also has a brilliant geography… and a business environment which is very conducive and open.”
For now, that balance is holding.
ADVERTISEMENT
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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.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
In an interview with Euronews, Hobart said that “the important thing is that there is a ceasefire still… we’re not going to resolve the war while we’re still fighting.”
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.
“I think we don’t know yet… but we hope, of course, that it’s part of the beginning step into something which brings us to a sustainable resolution.”
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’s oil supply. When it closes, the consequences are immediate and far-reaching.
“You can’t talk very easily while you’re firing missiles across the Straits of Hormuz,” Hobart said.
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.
Security cooperation
“They 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.
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.
“We agreed a framework of cooperation between our countries,” Hobart says, including work “not just in foreign policy and in defence, but also in AI… in the energy transition… in tackling global crime and illicit finance.”
On the ground, that partnership has already been tested. The recent attacks were not incremental. They marked a step change, “unprecedented, unwarranted and hugely dangerous, risking lives.”
And yet, the outcome could have been significantly worse. The UAE’s defensive systems held. “They’ve intercepted 95% of the projectiles fired at this country.”
That figure is more than a statistic. It is a signal of preparedness, coordination, and a defence architecture functioning under pressure.
For the UK, the response has been deliberately controlled. Support without escalation. “This wasn’t the UK’s war… but particularly in defence of the Gulf countries, we have enabled the US to help support that defence.”
Underlying risk
At the same time, the crisis has triggered a wider international alignment. Maritime security, once a technical issue, has become a geopolitical priority. “What we want is the law of the sea to be followed… these international thoroughfares… open and flowing.”
That position is now backed by scale. “There were over 50 countries taking part… who are there to support freedom of navigation… in the Straits de Hormuz.”
Even so, the underlying risk has not disappeared. It has been managed, not removed. “I think the risk is there… the risk is reduced while there isn’t fighting and while there is a prospect of talking.”
For residents in the UAE, that translates into a cautious normality. Daily life continues, but with an awareness that conditions can shift quickly. “For expats that are here… at the moment you can live a pretty normal life, but you need to pay attention to what the authorities are saying.”
That balance, between reassurance and realism, has defined the response. “I think it’s getting the balance right between a kind of calming message… but also the need to respond to a very unusual situation.”
Zoom out, and a more structural picture emerges. The UAE operates in a region it cannot control. Its strength lies in how it responds. “The UAE can’t control the whole of that environment, so it’s about how does it flex and respond to that overall.”
And despite the pressure, those fundamentals remain intact. “The fundamentals for the UAE haven’t changed… it also has a brilliant geography… and a business environment which is very conducive and open.”
For now, that balance is holding.
In the Gulf, the ceasefire is holding. But only just. For Edward Hobart, British Ambassador…
