Telegraph: US urged UAE to seize Iran’s Lavan Island

Officials linked to US President Donald Trump are encouraging the United Arab Emirates to take a more assertive role in the ongoing conflict with Iran, including the potential seizure of one of Tehran’s Gulf islands.

According to a former senior Trump-era security official who spoke to The Telegraph, some within Trump’s circle have proposed that the UAE should move to capture Lavan Island, which was reportedly targeted in covert Emirati military strikes in early April.

Some in Donald Trump’s circle have suggested the UAE should take Lavan Island, which was reportedly bombed in secret military strikes by the Emiratis in early April, a former senior Trump security official told The Telegraph.

“Go take ’em!” the official said. “It would be UAE boots on the ground instead of US.”

The push comes as details emerge about the UAE’s expanding involvement in the 11-week war and its deepening strategic coordination with Israel.

Analysts suggest that the conflict, alongside Iran’s intensified bombardment of Gulf targets, is driving a sharp geopolitical realignment across the Middle East, with regional powers increasingly aligning into opposing blocs.

By Jeyhun Aghazada