Financial Times reports US efforts to isolate Iran are now threatening Dubai’s
long-standing role as an offshore hub supplying the sanctioned Iranian economy
with financial services, trade channels and access to global markets. Bourse &
Bazaar Foundation CEO Esfandyar Batmanghelidj says the UAE — via Dubai’s Jebel
Ali port — is effectively Iran’s only major container-route for imports; Iran
lacks alternative main container ports. Before the outbreak of the war, annual
UAE‑Iran trade approached $30bn, much of it transported by traditional dhows
that underpin Dubai’s old-city spice and gold souks.
