Axios reports U.S. presidential envoy Steve Vitekov met last weekend in Sardinia with UAE national security adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss next steps on Iran; the meeting was not disclosed by the White House. The talks come as the Trump administration pushes to reopen Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes and intensify economic pressure on Iran. The UAE has suspended trade, commercial and financial ties with Iran after a rise in Islamic Revolutionary Guard attacks on UAE National Oil C

Axios reports U.S. presidential envoy Steve Vitekov met last weekend in Sardinia with UAE national security adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss next steps on Iran; the meeting was not disclosed by the White House. The talks come as the Trump administration pushes to reopen Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes and intensify economic pressure on Iran. The UAE has suspended trade, commercial and financial ties with Iran after a rise in Islamic Revolutionary Guard attacks on UAE National Oil Company tankers transiting the Strait; bilateral trade reached $28 bln in 2024 and Dubai has been a key re‑export hub. Sources say an Iranian delegation visited Abu Dhabi on Aug. 11 seeking to ease ties, request food and medicine access and ask the UAE not to comply with U.S. sanctions; the UAE refused. The U.S. is assembling an interagency task force to coordinate further economic pressure on Iran.