While the US attempts to cobble together an anti-Iran maritime coalition in the Persian Gulf were decidedly unsuccessful, they have gained a couple of new participants in the past 48 hours, with the Saudis joining Wednesday and the UAE joining Thursday.
The UAE is presenting this as an attempt to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, though in practice the “danger” to such ships seems vastly overstated, with Iran not even attempting to capture ships in general.
One tanker out of the UAE was captured on allegations it was smuggling diesel in Iranian waters, and while this is no doubt playing a role in the timing of the UAE joining, most tankers aren’t being touched, and there is no sign Iran is doing anything other nations don’t do in their own waters.
The addition of the Saudis and UAE likely adds to the reason so many nations didn’t join in the first place, believing the coalition is deliberately provocative in nature and more likely to start fights than prevent them.
The UAE mouse with a population of one million, has every right to be afraid of the Persian cat.
Meanwhile the Houthis have signalled to the UAE that they plan to target them and would they like to reconsider their policy in Yemen.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco-houthis-emirates/yemens-houthis-threaten-to-attack-united-arab-emirates-targets-idUSKBN1W3282
It is plausible that the Houthis think Iran would approve of such attacks and would be willing to assist them with knowhow.
Trump is still planning his blockade of Iranian oil shipping, which is his most likely route to getting a war with Iran. But that will take months to set up, while the Houthis may give him his excuse any day now.
I don’t think Israel was behind the recent Saudi attacks as some have suggested, because Israel can’t afford a war with Iran until Hezbollah’s missile arsenal has been degraded, with US help, of course.