UAE ‘ready for greater security burden’ in Middle East – minister

The United Arab Emirates is ready to take on more of the security burden in the Middle East, according to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash. The country can no longer rely on military operations by allies the United States and Britain, an advance copy of the minister’s speech in London reads. “We are ready to take up more of the burden of security in our own neighborhood,” Gargash was due to say, Reuters reports. The UAE is concerned about divergence between Western powers over the future of relations with Tehran. “We hope that US pressure on Iran will bring it back to the negotiating table for an agreement wider than the [nuclear deal] JCPOA: one that addresses Iran’s ballistic missiles and regional meddling,” Gargash will say at the Policy Exchange think tank event.