UAE’s Hormuz workaround tries to bypass its trillion-dollar economic heart

UAE’s Hormuz workaround tries to bypass its trillion-dollar economic heartNew terminals offer insurance, but analysts say securing trade ultimately relies on lasting peace, not just pouring concrete3-MIN READ3-MIN1ListenPublished: 11:00am, 18 Jul 2026Geography has handed the United Arab Emirates quite the quandary: its government wants to cut dependence on the Strait of Hormuz to “zero”, yet the ports that power its economy sit squarely inside the waterway it hopes to avoid.Jebel Ali and Khalifa ports collectively handle most of the UAE’s US$1 trillion in annual non-oil trade, much of which flows to and from Asia. Together, they form the single most vital link in a logistics corridor stretching from Singapore to Europe – a status not easily replicated.But war has a way of necessitating the impossible. With the United States and Iran locked in a seemingly intractable conflict, nervous exporters across Asia have been hedging their bets – and Oman’s ports are the immediate beneficiaries.Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x