00:00The U.S. says its forces destroyed military sites on the Iranian Karg Island, vital to its oil network,
00:06threatening that the country's oil infrastructure could be next.
00:10Your News spoke with the UAE's Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
00:14to see how the UAE is responding to the Iran war while facing daily attacks.
00:21The U.S. says its forces destroyed military sites on the Iranian Karg Island, vital to its oil network,
00:28threatening that the country's oil infrastructure could be next if Iran continues to interfere with the passage of ships through
00:35the Strait of Hormuz.
00:36Iran said no oil infrastructure was damaged in the U.S. strikes,
00:40and warned that oil and energy infrastructure owned by U.S.-linked firms would be targeted if the United States struck
00:47its oil facilities.
00:49The U.S. and Israel have continued with large-scale strikes on Iran,
00:53with retaliatory Iranian attacks hitting Israel and neighboring Gulf states,
00:57as it squeezes the world economy by threatening to strike oil tankers on the Strait of Hormuz.
01:03Trump said the U.S. Navy would start escorting tankers through the key waterway very soon to restore oil exports.
01:10A drone also struck the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, security sources said.
01:16The attack took place shortly after two Iran-backed fighters were killed in strikes on Iraq's capital.
01:22After 14 days of war, the United States is reportedly sending reinforcements that could open up options beyond the airborne
01:30campaign.
01:34The U.S. is now entering the second week of a conflict it did not initiate,
01:40facing daily attacks while trying to stop the crisis from spiraling into a wider regional war.
01:46I spoke with Lana Nasebi, the UAE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
01:52and its former ambassador to the United Nations, about the country's response to those attacks,
01:58where its red lines are, and how the country is working to protect itself under daily missile attack.
02:06We've had an incredibly challenging 14 days.
02:09We're two weeks into this conflict that, as you said, we did not want to be drawn into.
02:14In fact, we were very engaged in diplomatic efforts prior to this escalation to try and avoid a conflict in
02:20the region.
02:21But now that it has happened, I think the UAE has demonstrated two or three things.
02:25First of all, that it prioritizes the protection, the security, and the well-being of its resident and Emirati population.
02:33Second, you've seen that our economy is very resilient.
02:36So people are back at work.
02:39We will have a bounce back in our economy this year.
02:42I have no doubt about that.
02:43It is a safe place to work and do business.
02:46And thirdly, you see that everyone has rallied around the model that is being attacked in the UAE and the
02:52Gulf
02:52as islands of stability and prosperity.
02:55No one is signed up to the model that Iran is propagating with its illegal and unlawful attacks on all
03:02the Gulf region,
03:03which have been egregious.
03:05I think the priority right now is defending the country against these attacks and ensuring it doesn't disrupt normal life.
03:12But, of course, we have been preparing for various scenarios in a very turbulent region for decades.
03:18So these are not new plans.
03:20We have had contingency plans in place since prior to this point.
03:26In terms of Europe and the partners that are helping, without compromising national security or elements like that,
03:32how are you protecting the nation and how are the international partners involved?
03:36I think they're coming in because they recognize that UAE interests are, in fact, global interests.
03:42Of course, the wider regional stability of Europe and the eastern Mediterranean is incredibly important.
03:48But globally, the Straits of Hormuz, a fifth of the world's energy supplies, passes through that narrow waterway.
03:55And this has an impact on not only global energy prices, but global food security and food supplies.
04:02The UN has estimated that there's been an 18 percent increase in their ability to give aid to those most
04:08in need in terms of food insecurity.
04:10For example, as a result of this.
04:13So Iran must not be allowed to hold the global economy hostage by its rogue state behavior.
04:20Is there a red line in all of this?
04:23I think fundamentally the red lines are the security, the prosperity, the well-being of our Emirati community and our
04:31expatriate community here.
04:33We consider all of them part of this country and they deserve our protection.
04:37So that is our red line.
04:39Don't touch this model.
04:41Don't touch this model.
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